13 - How we finished 2020

2020 has been a funny year - we only managed a few meetings at the beginning of the year, and our distribution options changed (see https://wraysburystitch.blogspot.com/2020/07/11-new-distribution-guidelines.html)

But our lovely ladies have been working from home - sewing, cutting and overlocking as well as learning how to pack kits, measure knickers (!) and burrito folding knickers!!!

When people are able to travel safely, and ask for kits to take we will be ready!!!

But in the mean time ... (I am so excited about this)

I spent some money!!!!

Thank you to the Stitch ladies who were on the Stitch Zoom call at the end of November and allowed me to spend £250 from our Stitch fund. I also received donations from group members and had £500 in total to spend (Thank you!).

The overall feeling has been that we were happy to continue the relationship with the Kisumu area of Kenya, but wanted to focus on supporting school girls, so we wanted the kits to go to the school sponsored by KisumuChildren charity

We can't send kits at the moment, and Kisumu is in the red zone so we cant distribute there anyway, but we can buy kits that have been made by a local enterprise in Kisumu: this helps the ladies who make the kits as they earn an income, and the kits will stay in the area as they will go to the Tieng're Primary School

As you may remember the kits need to be presented to the girls by someone who has done the D4G Ambassador of Women's Health training (if you haven't looked at it this is the link - I think it's amazing, especially for free training) https://dfgi.teachable.com/p/dfg-kit-distribution-101. The disadvantage is that we have to pay for the delivery of this information and it's the same cost as about 16 kits.

I was in a dilemma as that's 16 fewer lives we can change. I threw the question to the Kisumu Children UK charity we are working with - they looked the training and came back with a really positive response:

"I've had a look at that link and it looks amazing! I know that the school don't deliver anything like that because they don't have that level of material to work with or that level of nursing/Obgyn training.

I would say that it really is worth it, not just because of the teaching that it will give to the girls but also because of the teaching it will give to the staff at the school to see what they could teach going forward. You would be doing more than giving the kits, you would be investing in school education for the benefit of the future girls coming through. The effects of that $130 will likely be multiplied many times over! Let me know what you decide to do and then if you do invest in the training, we'll also speak to the school afterwards to get their feedback on how they can then do the same for future girls"

So using the "teach a man to fish" philosophy I used $130 of the money to pay a distributor to do the training (for the girls and the staff) and I spent the rest of our £500 on the basic kits plus 2 extra liners and an extra pair of knickers for 67 girls.

As soon as we get the feedback from the school I will post it here - I am so excited for these girls and the difference this will make!!!!

12 - New Distribution guidelines

From the Days For Girls twitter account (3rd July)

DfG is taking our commitment to #SustainableDevelopment to the next level with a new system for serving women & girls! From now on, our global network will be divided into 3 "zones" based on Enterprise presence with a different kit distribution policy for each zone Under the new policy, Enterprises will always supply #MHH kits/education where possible & donations will only go to Enterprise-free zones. This is a huge milestone in our journey to reach #EveryGirlEverywherePeriod with longterm, self-sustaining access to #menstrual care

From the Days for Girls UK FB page (16th July)

I know there has been a lot of confusion and even anger regarding the new DFG policy. It seems it was sprung on us without warning and we feel disappointed we weren't even consulted.

I'm not sure what happened as I was as much in the dark as everyone else!

For some reason there was a breakdown in communication….. but lets move on and to do this I think it would help us if we understood the reasoning for the new model which is as follows, as I understand it.

Making and sending kids was always meant to be a stopgap.

There is no way we, in the West by making and sending kits across the world could meet all the needs, of all the girls.

But this is Celeste’s vision.

Every girl, everywhere, period

So the aim has always been for individual countries to become self supporting, for them to move away from dependency to sustainability. A really important concept.

What we have not been privy to is all the work being done behind the scenes, with Governments and local leaders. The kits we’ve already sent over the years have provided much of the evidence needed to prove that when girls have access to reliable feminine hygiene products they stay in school. This helps not only the individual girls but actually benefits the whole community, a totally win, win situation.

We know the enterprises were set up to start meeting local needs and also to create employment etc. They've taken awhile to get established. However in the countries in the red zone they are now ready to move forward and expand but and this is the problem; the 2 models, the enterprises verses our distributions are now clashing and the situation has reached a tipping point! When we provide “free” kits this can have a seriously detrimental effect on the enterprises.

For example; an enterprise received an order for 3000 kits, very exciting for them, they took on more women to help fulfil this order, this gave local women skills and a much needed income. Then before the order could be fulfilled, 100 kits were distributed somewhere nearby. When the organisation ordering the kits heard about this and realised they could save their money, they immediately cancelled the order, they decided to go and seek out where they could get hold of these ‘free’ kits and save their money. A really terrible blow to all the women involved! 100 girls benefited from kits but sadly 3000 girls lost out as well as the women and their families who lost employment.

This clearly demonstrates the importance of working with Days for Girls regarding all our distributions. We don't ever, ever want our good intentions to cause harm.

Our aim must be for bigger long-term goals which are locally lead, which is the only way every girl will be reached and this is starting to happen.

For example in Uganda the government has given a contract for 90,000 kits and this will just be for starters!

There are other developments in other countries as well.

I feel we must trust Celeste for this next stage, her passion and desire to provide kits for every girl, everywhere has always been the driving force behind Days for Girls.

So please

1 Any distributions planned for a country in the Red Zone but delayed due to Covid please contact DFG international to work out how it can be accomplished without having a negative effect on the enterprises.

2 Countries in the Orange Zone may still require kits but as above, seek advice.

3 If you support a particular school or community in the red or orange zone contact DFG as how best to proceed. No one is expected to break relationships built up over years.

4. If you wish to order kits please do it through DFG not direct with the Enterprises. Cost of kits covers material and wages and individual enterprises will receive full amount.

4 Lots of girls will require our kits so lets work to develop links with organisations and charities in the Blue Zone countries.

I hope this goes some way in answering some of our the questions.

Hope this helps x

Our situation

So: we know that Kenya has Local Enterprises - Briege even visited one -, so I think the above means that Kenya is 'off limits'. I suggest that our Stitch group carries on making (when we can meet together again) and we will wait for someone to put kits requests on FB and we will send what we can. Although we have distributed some kits previously we knew that realistically that was a one off so are happy to make but not distribute in future.

Never forget Briege's message "One kit can change a life"

The link for impact zones is here: hthttps://www.daysforgirls.org/?s=impact+zones

11 - COVID19 Masks

----

There has been a lot of disagreement about the usefulness of making masks for the COVID19 situation.  I have been persuaded by a number of reports and people I respect that this is a good idea and have been making them.

Some of the reseach can be found here and here and here

My very basic instructions are below (based loosely on these, but she takes better photos than I do!).  If anything is unclear just message me on Benta@SLIKstitches.co.uk and I'll clarify (Lots of other instructions are available here: https://www.bigcommunitysew.co.uk/)

Prewash unwanted 100% cotton shirts and t-shirts at =>60 degrees C (making masks AND keeping stuff out of landfill: win win!)

 

MASK: Cut two @ 8" x 8" 

 

NOSE STRIP CASING: Cut scraps to 8 inches x as long as is available  (to be cut to length later)

 

BINDING: Cut strips to 2.5" x as long as is possible (to be cut to length later)

 

ELASTIC: cut to 8" lengths

Prepare fabrics

NOSE STRIP CASING: fold the long ends in towards the middle about 1/4 inch, press, and fold again (see pic under the cat!).  Stitch down the hems.  Cross cut into strips 1.5" wide (now hemmed at both ends).  Fold in half lengthwise and press.

BINDING:  This is called double fold non bias binding.  Fold fabric length ways and press.  Open up and fold edges into the middle, press.  Fold in half and press

MASKS: Place a t-shirt piece and a shirt piece right sides together. Put one folded nose strip casing, centred on the far edge, sandwiched between the two layers

Stitch top and bottom

Turn inside out and press.

Fold the mask in three even folds.  If you want help there is a printable template on this PDF

 

Stitch the folds in place along the raw edges

 

Fold in one end of the binding (fold down two triangles like this then fold the point in 

Line the binding up with one stitched edge and clip into place.  Cut to a suitable length and fold the other end in the same way, and clip into place.

ELASTIC

I add the elastic like this (wrong elastic, just there to show the angle) so it emerges at the top and bottom.  Just tuck the raw ends inside and make sure you stitch it down at the short ends. I found the 6" elastic was too short so I have been cutting it at 8" - people can make it shorter if they need to

Stitch all the open edges (as indicated in white) making sure the elastic is securely anchored

Finish with a pipe-cleaner or another type of metal strip pushed through the nose strip casing so it can be bent to fit around the bridge of the nose but can be removed when the mask is washed.

The mask is reversible: it can be worn with either fabric facing out

I have been giving them to people with an instruction sheet that says

MASKS

Please consider the following:

·      These are not medical specification masks: they may be better than nothing but are not as good as the “real thing”.  They will hopefully reduce the likelihood of you getting / spreading the disease but please proceed with caution

·      They should be changed regularly and washed with soap and water (or apparently soaked in neat Gin!).  They can be machine washed, even boil washed – they have been made from t-shirts and fabrics pre-washed at 90^o. To iron the creases back gently tug the sides apart and it should fall back into pleats for ironing (ironing is optional)

·      They are made using materials found (by University of Cambridge researchers) to be about 70% effective

·      We ran the idea past a medical professor who said the research was sound and suggested we use t-shirts and pillow cases as there are too many t-shirts going to land fill.  I have used t-shirts and shirt fabric which is a closer weave than pillowcases. 

·      Ideally there should be a strip of metal at the top.  I have added a channel for the metal – a pipe cleaner, food ties or other bendy metal can be used so the mask can be pressed around the nose

·      They have NOT been made in a sterile environment.  I think I am well but would suggest you wash these before using just in case

 

Keep safe!!

Benta Hickley.  WraysburyStitch@gmail.com

https://wraysburystitch.blogspot.com/2020/04/covid19-masks.html

 

ADVICE ON USING THE MASK: Treat your mask like underwear.

1)      Do not touch or adjust  it (especially in public)

2)      Do not borrow or lend.

3)      Make sure it’s tight but comfortable.

4)      Make sure it’s clean (daily or as needed).

5)      Wear the right side out.

6)      If there are holes in it, throw it away.

7)      If it’s stained, throw it away.

8)      If it’s damp, change it.

10 - What next?

In planning ...

We have been donated some Heavy Flow Days For Girls Shields, and are making liners to fit them to make kits for the Positive Aid hospital (see page 6).  The Charity have offered to help with transport logistics and costs ... we just need to get the kits ready!

We recently met a charity that supports children near Nariobi to attend school.  The charity astonishingly enough, works in Kisumu!

KisumuChildren.org.uk asks people to sponsor a child by buying their school uniform - without uniform they cannot attend school, so the charity works to replace the uniform every year.  The  school they support is for children up to the age of 14.  I had a long chat with Suzanne from the charity and they go to Kisumu every year!  She was very interested in our kits (I always carry a 'pod' of a shield and a liner to show people!) and they are happy to take our kits out - some for their school girls and some for the Kisumu hospital in the Uranaga Rural Development Initiative (URDI)

We have emailed them to find out  when they are next going, and how many kits they want for the school.

We have also been working with a volunteer who works in Greece with Syrian refugees.  We had hoped to be able to supply them with sewing machines (hand crank) and the resources so they could make their own.  Sadly water is so scarce that a washable product isn't going to be any help.  They are finding out if the sewing machines would help, if not we will find another charity that can make use of the old Singers etc that we have collected

9 - What can you do?

What can you do?

You can

• Join us at St Andrew's church Wraysbury 10-12 (generally*) on the last Saturday of the month

• Donate new fabric: (funky, colourful, pretty cotton fabric for bags, or pretty dark / medium fabric for liners, 

•  If you are planning a USA trip can you get us dark / medium flannel (brushed cotton) from WalMart)

• Book us to come and talk to your your workplace, club or church (We are happy to come and talk to groups (such as the WI) or for Corporate Team Days (and can supply references): We just ask for a donation towards fabric and other components of the kits.)

•  Buy some Boomerang bags 

• Take some boomerang bags to your workplace, club or church and sell them

• Donate knickers (dark, small sizes and full shape please)

• Donate flannels (dark and cheap)

• Donate hotel soaps

 or of course donate money - it can be used here to buy components for the kits or can be used to buy kits from the local certified enterprise operating in Kisumu so that straight away helps twice as many people.  You can donate by cash, by cheque to St Michael's (Horton) PCC or by PayPal to WraysburyStitch@gmail.com.



(*Sometimes the church needs the annex for a church event.  We can add you to our mailing list or you can check our Facebook Page - look for "Stitch" and this logo )

8 - What else are we doing?

We have been gifted lots of fabric - unfortunately much of it is fabric that we can't use for the kits: usually because it is second hand.

So we make Boomerang Bags.  These are great for beginners to work on as there are no strict quality regulations.  We sell them at village churches and fairs and other events - people make a donation and have been very generous: this helps us fund the next purchase of approved fabric to make the next lot of kits!

7 - What else is being done

The Days For Girls charity isn't just helping girls by distributing kits and delivering training!  They have set up Local Enterprises

Here local women are given the equipment and the resources and the training to make kits - and these kits are then sold.  Not to local ladies but to people like you and me.  We buy the kits and this gives the makers a small income: they then deliver the kits to local schools or hospitals to help local girls and ladies who need the kits

6 - Problems choosing who we should help

A friend of ours, Briege, is a New Zealand midwife: she stopped off with me for a week on route to do a month's volunteering at a maternity hospital in the Kisumu area near Nairobi.  This was organised through the Positive Aid Charity.

I showed Briege the kits and she could immediately see the advantage for new mums too - we didn't have long, but we managed to get about 20 kits together and get her through the training (see 4) before she went.

One of the hardest things for her to do was to distribute the kits: she had 20 kits and saw that many ladies every day - and they all wanted one!

She sent me this heartbreaking message:

5 - What we do

Our Stitch ladies (and occasional gent) meet on the last Saturday of the month at St Andrew's Annex in Wraysbury

We draw around templates, cut fabric, press fabric, sew components, pack kits (there is a great way to fold knickers so they stay rolled up!) drink coffee and chat!

Some of our volunteers represent a family: a few siblings attend with their mums, three generations of another family regularly attend too.   Some of our volunteers come to learn a new skill, or to get out on a Saturday morning, quite a number have no interest in sewing at all, but are great at ironing or keeping the coffee mugs topped up

We often have visitors and we are always happy to talk about what we do and why we do it

4 - What else the girls get

The kits are not just handed over to a school nurse or a teacher.

They are distributed by someone who has done the the charity's Ambassador For Women's Health training.

The training teaches the distributor how to show the girls how to use the kits but also covers hygiene, information about sex and conception, pregnancy, self defense, and other relevant subjects.  All this is delivered to promote menstrual health management awareness and education - with an awareness of the need of understanding the sensitivity needed, taking great care to honour the wisdom of the girls and their environment and culture

.

3 - What we provide

From 2008 to 2019 kits has been sent to over one and a half million girls in 145 countries.

That's an astonishing need!

Our intellect tells us that this is a major problem.  But psychic numbing comes into force - to miss-quote Josef Stalin " a million girls needing D4G kits is a statistic, 1 girl needing one is a tragedy"

Each kit makes a difference to one girl, and therefor to her family and to her village

Each girl gets:

(see below for more info about each item, and the Days For Girls website here)

• a drawstring bag
• two pairs of knickers
• a small bar of soap
• a flannel
• two shields
• eight liners
• a transport bag to bring soiled items home for washing
• a record card

We only use new fabrics, and we use dark but pretty 100% cotton.  The items are designed to last for 3 years but we know of some that have lasted for 5 years.  There are very strict quality requirements to ensure the kits last as long as possible, and there are certain fabrics we cannot use as we have to be sensitive to cultural concerns.

At Wraysbury Stitch people often bring us fabric they want to donate, but this is frequently second hand or inappropriate for other reasons.  We don't want to refuse people's kind offers so we use them to make Boomerang bags which we sell to help us pay for the fabric and other components of the kit.

The kits cost about £8.70 to make - some of this goes on knickers and flannels and soaps, and some on fabric and ribbons.  We also need to send the kits to the areas that need them: this means either paying postage or paying for extra luggage if someone is going to an area where they are needed.  A medium size suitcase can take about 50 kits.

What each component is for:

The drawstring bag  - can be used all year as a book bag or for carrying other items

The two pairs of knickers - full pants.  Some girls don't own any until they get their kit

The small bar of soap - for personal hygiene and for washing their kit

The flannel - for personal hygiene.  Cheap flannels are better as the luxurious ones take a lot of hand washing to get the soap out

The two shields - these are + shaped and popper under the knickers.  There is a pocket front and back.  They are lined with a product called PUL which prevents moisture seeping through

The eight liners - these are made from two layers of brushed cotton which absorbs the waste.  They tuck into the shield pockets and girls can use one, two or even three if required.

The transport bag to bring soiled items home for washing - these were, until recently, zip lock plastic bags but some third world countries (where most kits are distributed) have banned plastic bags with a £400 fine or a month in prison.  The charity is trialing different designs of PUL transport sacks

The record card - this shows the girls how to record the first date of their period each month and how to be able to predict it each month.  Pictorial instructions for how to use the kit is on the back

2 - How we got involved

Alison and Benta attended a Christian Conference for women (Colour Sisterhood) and came away inspired to do something for women in our community and helping women who needed help in other communities.

We prayed about what form our plan should take and then we heard about Days for Girls and knew this was what we wanted to do.

As women, we knew the nuisance and potential embarrassment of a period starting when we were unprepared - but that an inability to be prepared led to the girls missing about 25% of their education was something we had never considered - we wanted to do something that would make a difference.

1 - How Days for Girls Started

https://www.daysforgirls.org/history

Days for Girls began in 2008 when Founder and CEO Celeste Mergens was working with a family foundation in the outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya where she began assisting an orphanage. In the middle of the night, she woke up with a nagging question: “What are girls doing for feminine hygiene?” 

The answer?  “Nothing. They wait in their rooms.”

Celeste learned that girls were sitting on cardboard for several days each month.  This set in motion her first intervention - disposable pads. But Celeste and her team quickly discovered a major problem - without any place to dispose of the pads, this was neither a viable nor a sustainable solution. It was time for Plan B: a washable, long-lasting pad.

The first Days for Girls Kits were quite different from the design in use today. Each of the 28 iterations that followed would be informed by extensive feedback and designed to meet unique cultural and environmental conditions in communities throughout the world. What would eventually become clear in the years following Days for Girls’ beginning was just how much of a difference hygiene solutions would make in assisting women and girls to break the cycle of poverty and live lives of dignity.

Today, Days for Girls has reached more than one million women and girls in 125+ countries with DfG Kits and menstrual health education. This translates into over 115 million days of dignity, health, and opportunity!

​