It’s half-past noon when the car turns into the little street of my grandmother’s home in Vega Baja. It’s a quiet street; most of the people who live in it are senior citizens, and as I later learn, half of them are avid volunteers of the Days for Girls organization. I entered the house and made my way to the kitchen, where my grandma cooked peacefullly. I took my place on one of the seats and immediately noticed that the table was almost completely covered in boxes containing hygiene kits ready to be shipped to one of many destinations. My grandmother, Ana Delia Moreno Martínez, happens to be the coordinator of the Vega Baja chapter called Days for Girls-Vega Baja Puerto Rico Team.
“Days for Girls is a Non-Profit Organization that was founded in 2008 by a group of missionary women from the United States. They went to Africa to an all-girls orphanage in which approximately 500 girls resided, and soon realized that there were days in which the girls didn’t go to school or anywhere else, for that matter. The answer they received was that when they were on their periods, the girls couldn’t go anywhere because they didn’t have sanitary pads. Sometimes they used leaves, corn cobs, rocks, and even mosses, which caused the girls to get infections. When the missionary women returned to the United States they started sending them boxes of pads, but upon returning to the orphanage they soon discovered that it wasn’t enough because there was no water, electricity, or even garbage collection. The use of pads brought contamination problems and they had to stop using them. Upon returning to the United States, they created reusable sanitary pads, and that’s how ‘Days for Girls International’ started,” explained Ana.
I rummaged through one of the open boxes and found the fabric bags that contained the materials. She told me that in order for it to be ready to ship they needed to contain, two anti-humidity barriers (which need to be wrapped and fastened in the underwear to support the pad), eight absorbent rags, one towel, two one-gallon Ziploc bags for the wet articles or to soak the dirty ones, a fabric bag to put all the materials, and an optional bar of soap.
Upon inquiring how it reached Puerto Rico, she explained that “It arrived four years ago in 2013, through Jessica Padín, a resident of Isabela who heard of the organization, was immediately interested, and formed the first team. Little by little it started to grow and now there are teams scattered through various towns like Vega Baja, Canóvanas, San Juan, Vega Alta, among others.”
The team of Vega Baja meets in Ana’s house on the weekdays where they use the garage as their workshop.
“There are currently 20 volunteers of all ages and when we can’t meet here at my house, we occasionally get together at the local McDonald’s.” She also added that “We have sent 314 kits approximately since we started four years ago. Our kits are delivered to places like Cuba, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, and so on. Also, all of the materials are either donated or people send us money.”
Missionaries take the kits and go to different countries where they gather groups of women and girls and teach them how to use the pads, and how with good care, the kit can last from two to three years.
“The purpose of this organization is to provide girls and women alike a safe way to have the proper hygiene they deserve and to be able to go to school or work freely without any concerns. Plus, since they’re reusable it helps keeping the environment free of contamination,” she reveals with hopes that Days for Girls will grow and receive the recognition it deserves.
For further inquiries or donations contact Ana Moreno at (787)-647-5136 or visit their Facebook page: Days for Girls Puerto Rico
*All pictures are courtesy of Ana Moreno.