With a little cutting and sewing, students help girls in developing nations go to school
KITCHENER — Thirteen year old Kassidy Mullen admits she had never thought about how girls in developing nations manage their periods when there is not enough money for basic needs let alone sanitary products. The answer is they don’t, most girls just end up missing several days of school a month.
“No one knew the reason girls didn’t go to school, so we decided to do a campaign,” said Mullen, a student at St. Theresa of Avila Public School in Elmira. “This is a We Team school.” Meaning they are a school that follows the philosophy of the international Me To We campaign inspiring youth to change the world.
A We Team school takes action when there is a need and the kids at St. Theresa saw a need.
The school has an active social justice program and in February and March, the We Team, held a fundraiser supporting Days for Girls under the direction of their teacher Mary McCallum Baldasaro.
Days for Girls is an international volunteer organization that provides reusable menses kits for distribution to girls around the world, girls who would otherwise miss a week or so of school every month.
Heike Elliott, also 13, said the team set a goal of raising $225. “We had no idea it would get up to $1,000,” she said. “We just started the campaign Feb. 16, only 10 days.”
The team came up with the slogan “Not a Latte” fundraiser and they asked everyone they knew to donate.
Bernice Gammy, lead of the Kitchener chapter of Days for Girls, came to speak to the team and showed images of girls receiving the kits and how it changed their lives.
“She showed us kids getting their kits and how happy they were,” said Mullen, to which Elliott added, her biggest surprise was that the girls often don’t even own a pair of underwear.
The kits, all hand made and assembled by Gammy’s group in Kitchener, includes two pairs of underwear, two pad holders and eight pads. Each is made from washable flannel, with a polyurethane shield inside the pad to prevent leakage. The kits also include soap and a sealable bag for washing the pads, all safely tucked inside a cotton, drawstring bag.
And what have the We Team at St. Theresa learned from raising money for this project?
“I think I’m more aware now and don’t take things for granted,” said Mullen. “Those girls don’t have any option.” Elliott added “I think it changed me. I want to take more action now. Now I’m sure, we should share with everybody.”
At Kitchener-Waterloo Collegiate, another volunteer team project supporting Days for Girls takes a more hands-on approach.
Under guidance counsellor, Jane SchultzJanzen’s Days for Girls Club, teens spend their lunch hours every Tuesday tracing from a template then cutting the fabric and the polyurethane liners which are later sewn together by Gammy’s volunteers.
Though the class is predominately girls, there are a couple of boys including Kieran Dykstra, 17.
“I was bored during my lunch hour and I always want to help people in need,” he said.
This was not Dykstra’s first outreach project at the school.
“In December I created Christmas cards for people in Grand River Hospital,” he said. “I feel like people need caring, a lot of people in the world are being ignored. I felt this (menses kits) is really important.”
Gabrielle George comes from a family used to volunteering in the community and church so joining this noon hour club seemed a natu-
ral progression.
“It’s important to do something that has a big impact on girls’ lives,” said the grade 10 student. “And it’s not such a big task.
Kaitlyn Hinch, 16, comes from the same sort or family, people who are eager to help others.
“I think it’s important to reach out,” said the teen.
“I’d heard about this charity and I didn’t know why more people don’t know about it. It should be so obvious.”
Laura Beth Neuman turned her sweet sixteen birthday party into a Days for Girls event. She didn’t want presents, just donations toward the organization.
The 11 girls who came to her party all participated by cutting the shields for the kits.
“We chatted and listened to music and cut 215 shields,” said Neuman. “Instead of gifts, they donated $240.
“Everybody had a really good time. I was blown away.”