Menstrual Dignity for Refugee Women

2018 was a big year in Days for Girls' efforts to support menstrual health solutions in refugee settlements in East Africa. With more than 13,000 DfG Kits distributed to refugee women and girls, and a great deal of behind the scenes work to make it all possible, there is now a high bar to pass in 2019. As we move forward however, we are doing so with learning and evaluation at the top of our minds. In 2019, we will partner with other stakeholders in northern Uganda to participate in an in-depth study of the impact that menstrual health solutions have for refugee girls and women.

The continuous process of asking, listening, and learning is a critical component of building and growing any program, as the voices and experiences of the girls and women themselves must inform every decision that is made. By partnering with other experts in the fields of water, sanitation, hygiene, and menstrual health, we are excited to dive even deeper into the what, why, and how of supporting refugee girls and women in their communities.

As these evaluations take place, the DfG team will continue with education and distribution efforts to reach more girls & women. Production is ramping up in the Kampala Office, and among Enterprises based in or near refugee communities. Additionally, greater systems support is being built to allow for real-time data collection of distributions, better quality assurance support measures, and in person follow up to our Enterprise leaders.

Thank you for going on this journey with us! We can’t wait to see all that can be accomplished in 2019, together.

With over 1 million refugees, Uganda is home to one of the world’s fastest growing refugee populations. Many of these families and individuals are fleeing conflict in neighboring South Sudan, with others escaping chronic violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo or intermittent danger in Burundi or other locations. 2018 has seen a continued increase in the numbers of people seeking refuge in Uganda, a large percentage of which are women and girls of reproductive age. Many of the challenges women and girls face when managing menstruation are often amplified in refugee settings, resulting in a greater need for access to sustainable menstrual health supplies and education. 

As Days for Girls came upon its 10th anniversary--November 1st of this year--we looked to ways to continue working toward our goal of reaching  Every Girl. Everywhere. Period, recognizing the tremendous need of displaced women and girls. We wanted to not only celebrate this incredible milestone, but to give girls and women a reason to celebrate as well. And we did just that.  

DfG's recent Global Girls Festival--a month-long celebration during which we rallied to reach over 100,000 girls and women with menstrual health solutions--provided the perfect catalyst for bringing menstrual care to many of Uganda's displaced women and girls. Utilizing festival resources, local DfG Enterprises were able to make and distribute 10,000 DfG Kits with health education to the Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement in Western Uganda. 

Not only was the DfG Uganda team thrilled for the opportunity to return to Kiryandongo, where the reception has been positive and heartfelt in the past, but also for the added opportunity to empower local DfG Enterprises in Uganda and Kenya who made all of the DfG Kits that were distributed that day. 

The dual-impact of this distribution cannot be overstated; not only did we reach 10,000 women and girls with menstrual supplies and health education, but each of the participating DfG Enterprises earned income that has allowed them to contribute to their families and grow their small DfG businesses.

 All in all, it took a team of 75 trainers to reach all 10,000 girls and women on this special day – the 10^th birthday of Days for Girls. What a way to celebrate!

As a child, I remember playing a game called "telephone." One person would whisper a word, and each subsequent person would whisper that word to the next person until the final person said the word aloud. Without fail, the final word said aloud would be completely different than what we started with and laughter would ensue. The basic lesson of the game? Go straight to the source! No one can represent your truth like you yourself!

This is at the core of Days for Girls - let girls speak their own truth. So, when our team arrived at the Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement in northern Uganda this past July, they did not take pause at the comments of a local government offical: "But why didn't you bring disposable pads? Those are the best ones!". No, the team did not stop there. They continued on to meet the Program Coordinators, the teachers at 5 schools, and the girls themselves. What they found were girls who weren't afraid to state their needs loud and clear, who welcomed the DfG washable Kits because they recognized the money saved, the trash reduced, and the pride of owning a unique and beautifully made pad. 

In partnership with a Texas Chapter of Days for Girls, and the LDS Church, the DfG Uganda team distributed 2,110 DfG Kits to girls and women in the refugee settlement. Throughout the health education sessions that accompanied the distribution, they got to know the girls, engaged in lively question & answer sessions, and even posed for some celebratory photos after the training. While advocates at organization and goverment levels are so important for connecting girls to resources, at the end of the day there is nothing that replaces a girl's ability to speak for herself. And we look forward to continuing to listen, learn from, and love the girls we serve. Stay tuned for more distributions, evaluations, and enterprise projects at refugee settlements throughout East Africa and beyond!

Experts tell us it's important to get out up out of our office chairs once and move - a stretch, a shake, get the blood flowing! At Days for Girls, we take this advice a step farther. Recently our team got up from our spreadsheets and reports and went all the way to Kyaka Refugee Settlement in western Uganda to join 1,400 teenage girls in a very lively round of dancing. Why were they dancing? To celebrate the distribution of DfG Kits and Ambassador of Women's Health training that the Ugandan team had come to deliver! 

This specific community had been identified by our Enterprise Partner in Kyaka, Angel's Care, due to the high rate of teenage pregnancy and school drop outs. Refugees face heightened vulnerabilities due to varied factors. In Uganda - which has proven to be a friendly country to refugees from throughout the region - settlements are often started within rural communities. While this integration is positive for so many levels, it can also place additional burdens on local structure to support an influx in population. This, combined with the fact that many refugees have been separated from family and social networks, leaves young women and girls in particular at an increased risk of teenage pregnancy and school drop outs. 

The girls – who included refugees from South Sudan, Burundi, and DRC, as well as local Ugandan girls – were thrilled to receive the colorful DfG Kits, as evidenced by the dancing, cheering, and larger than life smiles. Though perhaps even more encouraging for our team was the appetite for information during our Ambassador of Women’s Health training. Many of the girls had not received much of the basic information – such as stages of the menstrual cycle – during their formal schooling. The questions continued up until the very last moment. Empowering girls with knowledge, shattering stigmas, and providing sustainable and locally appropriate menstrual health solutions are inseparable activities for DfG. At the end of the days, we want girls to be the experts in their own lives – and your support is making that possible!

Next up? Days for Girls will be celebrating World Refugee Day (June 20^th) with young women and girls from Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement. We can’t wait to tell you all about it!

We may not be painting The Last Supper here at Days for Girls, but as it turns out, the breadth of skills and knowledge required is vast! With Market Activations scheduled for March, evaluation surveys in progress, and major cargo shipments incoming, our team has had the opportunity to tap into a wide array of skills, resource networks, and research to bring it all together. Here's just a little sample of the artist's palette over in the Uganda Days for Girls Office:

Puzzling supply chain because she deserve the BEST!

An integral part of the fabric that makes Days for Girls is, well, fabric! The DfG Kit uses both our patented design and high quality fabric to create a washable pad that is not only safe, reliable, comfortable, and lasting, but also something that any girl or woman can be proud to own. It is with this in mind that we trekked high and low searching for materials that are that magical balance of top-notch and affordable. And guess what... We found them! With supply partners in Kenya, the US, and China, we have created a completely custom-patterend DfG Kit fabric to be used for all our Office and gold standard Enterprises! The team also made major headway in navigating Uganda's tax exemption for menstrual care imports, meaning less money towards overhead and more money to make Kits for girls! As the Uganda team heads into Kyaka II refugee settlement next month, there will be an extra sparkle in those smiles knowing the new fabric has finally made it "home."

The give and take of learning

The East Africa Office is thrilled to host two young women as interns this year. Juliet, a recent University graduate, and Whitney, a Mandela Washington YALI fellow, have joined our team to support programming, marketing, and refugee project planning. While we are teaching them the systems, thought processes, and so much more that goes into DfG, we recognize the incredible value they bring as young Ugandan leaders to our work. 

Measuring the fruits of our labor

The DfG Enterprise Trainings are intensive, fun, and pretty unforgettable for all those involved. But, what happens after? That's what our team has been investigating with follow-up surveys and visits to our Enterprise partners. With a high percentage of refugee and internally displaced people in Uganda and DRC, respectively, it's no surprise to see many of our Enterprises joining hands to lift girls & women who find themselves starting new lives away from conflict. Tuzo Blodie from Butembo, DRC has already made and distributed over 1,000 DfG Kits to internally displaced women & girls, while Berna Hillary from Kitgum, Uganda, has conducted numerous trainings & distributions in Adjumani Refugee settlement. While we are determined to capture the impact of these actions in our evaluation surveys, it might require some actual artistry to portray the beauty of it all!