Lack of personal hygiene products for girls and young women has a significant impact on their futures and even their communities. Our partner Days for Girls is actively engaging within developing countries to answer the need for such products to empower young women with brighter futures.

In Project 30 - Empowering Women with Bright Futures, eMiters have the opportunity to supply Smart Starter Pods to over 1,300 girls in Malawi. The sustainable pad kits include 2 shields, 4 liners, transport bag, soap bar, underwear, a care + usage guide.

The other fantastic aspect of Project 30 is that it’s part of a multiphase pilot program for Days for Girls that will scale the implementation and expansion of further programs in communities across Malawi.

Join Project 30 – Empowering Women with Bright Futures and be a force for change in young women's lives well into the future! 

Project Scope

Country:  Malawi

City: Many

# Served: 1,300

Need: COMPLETED

JULY UPDATE

For our final update on Project 30, we wanted to share with you a story from our infield partner. 

Yamikani Chikoti (one of the DfG Social Entrepreneurs) reports:

As the team was packing up to go, after our kickoff event at Chilimbondo Primary School ground, a group of boys lingered around. One of the girls that had attended our health education workshop and had received the pad kit was walking past the boys. 

“Mwalandila katundu, (You have received a package)”, one of the boys called out.

His friends jeered rudely. 

The girl was not embarrassed, instead, she faced them and said;

“Nalandira kumene, (Yes, I have received). I will proudly carry it without shame because I have learned today that menstruation is not something to be ashamed of. I will embrace it and be proud of it because I am wonderfully made.”

She then strolled away, a victory smile on her face.

This made the team proud; to know that they have made a huge impact on the life of this girl.

Check out the impact our givers made in Malawi here!

June Updates

Around 500 kits were distributed in May among the following schools of the Mangochi district of Malawi: Thema II school primary, Thema I School secondary, and Mlambe School.

*For International Menstrual day Days for Girls along with the First Lady of Malawi launched the advancing menstrual health equity project in schools and communities across Malawi. 

This event was presided over by the honorable Dr. Patricia Kaliati, Minister of Gender, community development, and social welfare at Thema Community Day Secondary School. 

April Update

According to the World Bank, at least 500 million women and girls globally lack adequate facilities and supplies for menstrual hygiene management. Nearly 25% of all period menstruators experience period poverty.

Period poverty describes the struggle many low-income women and girls face while trying to afford menstrual products. The term also refers to the increased economic vulnerability women and girls face due to the financial burden posed by menstrual supplies. In some cases, women and girls do not have access to menstrual products at all. They may resort to rags, leaves, newspapers, or other makeshift items to absorb or collect menstrual blood. 

A growing body of evidence shows that girls’ inability to manage their menstrual hygiene in schools results in school absenteeism, which has severe economic costs on their lives and the country. In many East and South African countries, students who cannot afford period products are forced to engage in transactional sex to obtain products. In one study, 2 out of 3 pad users in rural Kenya received them from sexual partners*

Promoting menstrual hygiene management remains crucial to guarantee women and girls life opportunities, but most importantly, to safeguard their dignity. 

*Philipps-Howard, Penelope A., et al. “Menstrual Needs and Associations with Sexual and Reproductive Risks in Rural Kenyan Females: A Cross-Sectional Behavioral Survey Linked with HIX Prevalence.” Journal of Women’s Health 24, no. 10 (2015): 801-11. Doi:10.1089/jwh.2014.5031.