By Warren Te Brugge | Founder and Chair
The Story of GirlStuff
When the idea of GirlStuff was born out of the first Iziko Labahlali (Hearth of the Community) program in the community of Bergnek, it was more of a focus on giving girls the opportunity to get back into school. By providing girls with washable, reusable menstrual kits because they could not afford regular menstrual supplies they had the opportunity to return to school and not have to miss school up to a week a month because of the lack of supplies when they had their period, each month.
Understanding the Core Problems - What's been acheived
As the program evolved the Bergnek community and ourselves realized it was not just about menstrual supplies, we also needed to help the girls with the food they would otherwise be collecting each day to feed their families. This is when My World In a Garden was born to build vertical food gardens that the girls could tend and reap the rewards of tending the gardens and harvesting the vegetables grown in the wall.
The number of girls in grade 8 and above in the local school has increased dramatically over the past two years as a result of our programs and educating girls about the importance of staying school so that they have access to the same opportunities boys do after they finish school
It's about a Girl
In one of our last reports we told the story of Anna and how having the GirlStuff Menstrual kits helped her to not only stay in school, but to excel, and now she is mentoring her little sister to do the same.
Next Steps
As the women of GirlStuff have attracted more and more interest, the business has started to grow and they are in a position to convert GirlStuff into a community coop that they will all be a part of. This is an exciting moment as the business becomes a reality for them on their own terms. Skills have been transferred, learned and applied in the business. The team has pulled together and identified new opportunities and now also makes school uniforms to diversify and increase revenues.
Your Contributions and Donations DO make the Difference
You can support the My Arms Wide Open, Pads4Girls project and make a meaningful difference in the lives of the girls, women and children that we serve, by making a donation now or setting up a monthly recurring donation as well as sharing this report with your family and friends.
Please Donate Now!
We are grateful for your support. The women, girls and children of the My Arms Wide Open communities extend a warm smile and echo our gratitude and thanks.
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