Girls should have access to menstrual products. Period.
The Alachua chapter of Days for Girls International spent Memorial Day working toward that goal by making menstrual kits at Highlands Presbyterian Church. According to their newsletter, the chapter hosted the event in honor of Menstrual Hygiene Day.
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., about 30 volunteers cut fabric, sewed and assembled 280 kits. Michelle Belanger, co-leader of the Alachua chapter, said each kit contains multiple reusable pads, underwear, a washcloth and soap inside of a drawstring bag.
The event ended with 180 kits in drawstring bags and another 100 waiting for bags. Belanger said the kits can be reused for three years if washed and taken care of.
Since its creation five years ago, the chapter has distributed kits to women and girls in places such as Kenya, India and Peru where access is scarce. In 2018, volunteers made about 2,200 kits for girls who would otherwise stay home because of their periods, Belanger said.
"We are actually changing women’s lives,” she said. “That’s 3,000 days in your life that you would be trapped at home because you don’t have access to menstrual health supplies. That’s eight years of your life that you are on a period — and if you can’t do anything in your life for eight years, that is not okay.”
Radha Selvester, chapter chair for Days for Girls Alachua, said the menstrual kits help women go to work and help girls receive an education. It also saves girls from child marriage, sex trafficking and giving birth at a young age. She said it’s not uncommon for girls to be forced into giving sexual favors in exchange for pads.
After its first time sending kits, Selvester said the Alachua chapter received letters from girls who told stories of using mattress stuffing and other materials for their periods and of having to leave of school.
“We just sat there crying like ‘Oh my God, we made such a difference in these girls’ lives,’” Selvester said. “It was amazing.”
Selvester said Days for Girls Alachua has teamed up with about 40 groups from UF to help produce and transport kits to other countries.
Grayson Hendryx, president of Global Medical Brigades at UF, volunteered during the Monday event. He is currently coordinating a new partnership between his organization and Days for Girls Alachua in hopes of bringing at least 100 menstrual kits to Panama during a Global Medical Brigades volunteer trip in August.
“Global Medical Brigades aims to improve the equality of life by empowering volunteers and under-resourced communities to resolve global health disparities,” Hendryx said. “Our club is excited to be working with Days for Girls because their reusable menstrual hygiene products and education for the communities has profound effects on the lives of so many girls worldwide.”
Bradley Gracy, Days for Girls Alachua secretary, was moved to tears when talking about the effects of Days for Girls.
"To know that what we are doing right now is going to end up in the hands of a girl or woman and has the potential to change her life literally is pretty amazing," Gracy said.
Volunteers work hard to sew reusable menstrual pads to help meet their goal of 200 kits.
Radha Selvester, chapter chair of Days for Girls Alachua, oversees the order of operations of the Memorial Day kit assembling event.
Michelle Belanger, co-leader of Days for Girls Alachua, preps shields and panty liners into Ziploc bags to be ready for kit assembly.
