CALEB NICKERSON
SHAWVILLE Aug. 22, 2018
On Aug. 22, a group of local women gathered at Dr. S.E. McDowell Elementary in Shawville to raise funds and awareness in support of women’s health.
Organized by Courtney Dubeau and Saphia Massarwy, the day was in support of Days for Girls International, a non-profit founded in 2008 that provides women in developing countries with feminine hygiene kits as well as health education. To date, the organization has reached over one million women and girls in 124 countries, and is supported by dozens of teams across the world that pack kits and raise money.
Since there isn’t currently a group in the Pontiac, Dubeau and Massarwy invited the Nepean Days for Girls team to offer demonstrations and talk about the charity. They had their booth set up around the perimeter of the gym, along with a host of other vendors. There was a screen set up on the wall for Dubeau to show videos about the organization.
“It’s actual girls in Kenya speaking about their experience of not having any feminine hygiene products and how it prevents them from taking care of their families or getting an education,” she said. “With these kits, they’ve been able to become doctors and take care of their families.”
Dubeau explained that menstruation carries a significant stigma in some parts of the world, and not having access to basic supplies and knowledge severely impedes many women’s quality of life.
The hygiene kits that the group gives out include things like soap, washcloths and reusable pads that the teams sew. The pads are made of durable, dark material that folds up and snaps together.
“They make reusable pads because they have nowhere to dispose of disposable pads,” Dubeau said.
Mary Johnston of the Nepean team explained how they work and said that they were fabricated through consultation with the women using them. She said the Nepean group is made up of about 30 people that get together occasionally to sew pads and pack kits.
“I was looking for a good services project for Girl Guides,” Johnston said, referring to how she found out about the charity. “It’s about helping girls their own age.”
She added that even people that don’t sew can help out by cutting out the templates and organizing material.
Dubeau estimated that about 50 people came through the gym thoughout the day. Billy T’s Pizza supplied refreshments free of charge at the event, for which Dubeau was extremely grateful.
She estimated that they raised over $500 and said she would be open to hosting more events in the future, possibly with local schools or community groups.
