Pads for Peace Business Educates 2000 Kenyan Girls

On the first day of Judy and John’s March trip to Nairobi, they met with Judy Gration, and thanked her in person for covering the shipping of the fabrics and supplies for RockPads. The generosity of everyone who has donated to the RockPads project has helped provide the materials needed to make the project a reality, and meet our goals. The women in the sewing center at Little Rock ECD have been hard at work sewing the soft, pretty reusable sanitary pads.

We are very pleased to announce that 200 kits (complete with the reusable pads and other fun items) are now finished! They are being distributed to school-age girls who are enrolled in reproductive education and empowerment classes in the Kibera slum in Nairobi, Kenya this month. Little Rock will also sell the pads to adult women, building a sustainable business and generating income.

We are so excited to see this project moving forward. John and Judy’s visit to Little Rock really confirmed all the wonderful news we've had about RockPads, and we are simply thrilled with its success and potential. Thanks to all of you who have supported us and given so generously. There’s still more work to do, so please continue to spread the word about RockPads!

A very special thanks goes to Judy Gration, wife of the U.S. Ambassador to Kenya, Scott Gration. She covered the cost of shipping for the materials sent to Kenya. These items included products bought in the U.S. (underpants and sewing supplies) using funds donated at GlobalGiving, as well as fabrics donated by A.E. Nathan and Fabri-quilt. Without Judy Gration’s help, we never would have been able to accept the generous donations of fleece and flannel from A.E. Nathan Co., and nylon from Fabri-quilt. We are deeply grateful for these donations of fabric as well.

The shipping took some time, but we are pleased to say that all of the items have now arrived! The manufacturing of pads will soon begin, under the direction of Evelyne Obonyo, RockPads Project Manager. In the meantime, Evelyne has been meeting with teachers and girls groups. The goal is to train the girls in the use of the sanitary pads, as well as in reproductive health and empowerment. She has also traveled to rural villages to begin to develop relationships with schools and girls groups in the country. We are excited to tell you that schools and girls groups are now asking to be included in the project! Isn’t that wonderful?

 With all of the help we’ve received so far, the donations from GlobalGiving will provide sanitary pads kits to 200 girls. That’s 25% more than we originally planned! But with the growing interest, we still need help. We will need ongoing donations to provide kits to all the girls who would like to be included in the program. Please spread the word to family and friends about this wonderful cause, or let us know your ideas for continuing to raise funds. Your donations do so much more than provide the physical sanitary kits for these girls; these kits, and the education the project provides with them, are so often one of the first steps in changing the lives of girls in Africa, to giving these girls futures. Having access to sanitary pads keeps girls in school in a place where the strongest determinant of a woman’s lifetime earning is how much education she receives. You all have our most heartfelt thanks for your generosity and support, and hope you will continue to help us provide kits to even more young girls.

Judy and John are visiting the project in early March, and we will be sure to post updated photos when they return!