"Panties were flying all around and giggles were a-plenty."

Hi All! 

Below is a post from Mallory Brick, a long time Hamomi volunteer. This is about her second trip to Hamomi where she put on a fabulous girl's health workshop. Great pictures, sweet story and very informative. 

-Susie

More Hygiene at Hamomi Stories...

In August, 2012 I returned to Hamomi to teach a two day workshop on feminine hygiene that was supported by Days for Girls International (www.daysforgirls.org) based out of Lynden, WA. My plan was to teach a lesson on feminine hygiene and provide the girls with supplies for their monthly cycle. 

 

DFG is an awesome organization that creates reusable, sustainable menstruation kits for women worldwide. Girls in developing countries often miss school while menstruating. Not only do the kits allow the girls to stay in school, they also provide the girls an opportunity to take care of their bodies, build self-esteem and understand their basic rights as women in the world. An added bonus of the kits is that they are easily replicated, so they can serve as a foundation for a social enterprise should women who receive them decide to start a business. 

In my workshop I discussed and defined hygiene, puberty, reproduction, pregnancy, sex, STDs/HIV and any topic that was brought up in the anonymous question-and-answer box. Additionally, I conducted a short quiz on the information I provided and spoke about my experience as a young woman during puberty. The girls and women were incredibly interested in hearing about another woman's experience and we definitely had quality "girl time".

At the end of day one, I passed around a "kit" so the 30 girls and five teachers could see and touch the underwear, washcloth, ten pads, two shields and drawstring bag that make up each kit.

On the second day we recapped in English and had a DFG Kenyan representative, Julie, teach the class in Swahili. The girls really took to Julie and I felt the impact of the session was high due to her participation. The girls could ask questions in English and Swahili, and we could answer with accurate and understandable information.

Once Julie finished her lesson it was time to pass out the 100 kits! The excitement was high as we pulled each one out of the huge duffel bags. I started by slowly handing the kits out one by one and the girls carefully examined the pattern of each bag, the color of the underwear and washcloth, and the design of each shield and kit. 

There was an additional woman (friend of a teacher) who attended the class and I was able to give her a regular kit and a post-pregnancy kit to maintain feminine health. 

As we moved on to passing a second kit to each girl, the girls started swapping bags, panties, and washcloths for different patterns they preferred. Panties were flying all around and giggles were a-plenty. The teachers and students each received two complete kits, and the remainder are at Hamomi for future needs. The workshop was an absolute success and the kits were used right away!

-Mallory