In January, when doctors Tracee and Leslie were able to travel to Haiti for the first time in nine months, they brought supplies for a new program to be started at the Charles Salomon School. The program, Days for Girls, addresses a common problem in Haiti, the lack of access and affordability of menstruation supplies for girls and women. Without such supplies there is an increased risk of infection and girls are much less likely to attend school during their monthly menstruation cycle. Additionally, improved feminine hygiene can help reduce the social stigma around menstruation found in poor countries.
The Days for Girls program addresses this issue by providing girls who have entered puberty with reusable, cost-effective, personal hygiene kits. The pads can be washed with very little water and reused for several years. Healing Art Missions began this program at our health clinic in Dumay in 2018 and given the program’s success we are duplicating it at the Charles Salomon School in Port-de-Paix, our primary education project. The reusable hygiene kits include a drawstring bag containing absorbent tri-fold pads, moisture barrier shields, visual instructions, underware, soap, and a one-gallon zip-lock bag. Our programs at both the clinic and school provide Days for Girls kits at no cost.
The kits distributed for our Days for Girls program are produced by a group of dedicated volunteers in Granville and Amesville, Ohio, who sew and assemble the kits. It is because of the hard work of these volunteers that we are able to address this important need to the young women in the communities in Haiti we serve. Our great thanks go out to the volunteers who make this program possible are led by Catherine Hare and Nancy Dobbelaer include: Priscilla Hare, Sarah Bowles, Barb Hays, Debi Blevins, Lynne Genter, Janet Polzer, Natasha Alum, Julie Stout, Helene Wilson, Vicki Korner, Jane Good, Begonia Reina, Kathy Elasky, Rosie McAfee, Janet Botzum, Linda Lackey, Teresa Gould, Teresa Trout, Beth Ferrier, Marcia Burchby.