Pads Against Bullying

We are also grateful for what our supporters do, and I’d like to give you some insight into our programs and how we help to support girls, women and children in the communities we serve. 

Changing Tack

When we think about bullying, we approach it working both with the bully and the bullied. The best way to address a problem effectively is to deal with it at the source, hence including the bullies.

The First Step

The GirlStuffPeriod.org menstrual kits are the first part of the solution, the more important parts of the what we do is engaging with our recipients to help them take back control of their lives and their opportunities.To know that they are important and deserve a good life. We invite the girls, women and other community programs to join our Iziko Labahlali program.

Creating Safe Spaces

In our Iziko Labahlali (Hearth of the Community) program we make a tremndous effort to ensure that we create an energy in our gathering spaces that is wonderful and inviting, that enables particpants to feel welcomed and safe. Our first day prepares us for the next step in understanding that each of our past experiences helps us to become the significant and important person we are today. At the end of the day each member of the group starts to understand, and for many for the first time, that they are worth it, they really are someone.

We spend the morning looking at, sharing and understanding our own current patterns and process of thought and conversations. We look at how we can change the way we talk to ourselves, view ourselves and build our own belief systems and changing those belief systems to be able to affect our actions, our behavior and our conversations. The power in asking for and talking about what you actually want versus what you don’t want, becames apparent to the group as they start to reframe their hopes, dreams and goals.

Understanding Needs

During the afternoon session we begin the process of understanding the needs within the communities our particpants live in. So often we see individuals grow from a stance of ‘it’s all about me’ with inward focused goals and needs to the real needs within the community and the people around them. The objective is to identify what the members of the community could be doing for themselves to gain their own independence and self-determination. To provide for their community and supports its needs without being dependent on outside parties and organizations. We explore the needs and the opportunities, they identify and define as a group, to create businesses around those needs. We then drill down to gain scope and understanding of what it would take. What is amazing is that at first the group are fearful, not wanting to really know what it would really take and then their energy and hearts take over and they create definitive requirements. We then identify what the skills are that would be needed to really take advantage of the opportunities they've identied. What the group learns is that although they do not possess all the qualifications needed, they did in fact possess some of the skills they need.

A Leap of Faith

We help the group to make a 'leap of faith' to a certain extent, as they have now individually and collectively made enough progress to be able to talk confidently and with a good understanding of what it would take to create some of the changes they want within their communities. We ask you to do the same, and support us to run more Iziko Labahlali programs in communities in need.

Share your Excitement

We ask that you forward this project report to 2 friends or begin your own fundraising page for the cause here on GlobalGiving.

We are grateful for your ongoing support and for all you, as a donor, have already done to create positive change in the Bergnek community, and are always grateful for you our supporters, and especially for those of you who give to the GirlStuff.Period and Pads Against Bullying projects every month. Thank you for your contributions, your messages and for sharing the work we do with the wonderful people of Bergnek. We appreciate you and the people of Bergnek most certainly do too.

We won't give up on the communities we serve, and we know you won't either!