Sometimes I can’t even believe how sheltered I am and how much I take for granted each and every day. I go to sleep and wake up in a big cozy bed with heat coming through my vents. I always have good, healthy food to put on the table for my family. As a society, we are allowed the privilege of so many amazing opportunities, and rarely do we think that many other cultures may think of our every day lives as luxurious.
It is no secret that some societies in Africa are living in sub-par living conditions and have a difficult life. Within those societies are young girls who are dropping out of school left and right. One of the reasons? Their period.
In fact, one in ten girls miss school during their period (according to UNICEF). I remember staying at home for something such as cramps or not feeling well during high school or college. However, the situation is a tad bit different for these young women. These girls are not going to school because they do not have the sanitary items they need during their period. Unfortunately, once girls reach puberty and get their period, going to school becomes a huge obstacle and many decide to drop out because of it.
As a teacher and as a woman, this makes me sad that these girls are not getting their education just because they don’t have access to a pad or a tampon. I can only imagine you feeling the same way. As a privileged society, we have two options. Option number one is to sit around and feel sorry for these young girls. Option number two is to actually do something about it.
That’s why I’ve teamed up with o.b.’s Share It Forward program to share this information with you. o.b. is hoping to raise $25,000 for Huru International which provides sanitary kits for young girls. Huru® Kits are provided to at-risk girls at no cost. Each Huru® Kit comes packaged in a drawstring bag that doubles as a backpack, and includes: Eight reusable sanitary pads, three pairs of underwear, detergent-grade soap to wash the sanitary pads, a re-sealable, waterproof bag to safely store used sanitary pads, educational insert focused on proper Huru® pad care and usage, and life-saving HIV/AIDS prevention information.
This is where we come in.
For every single “share” o.b.’s Share It Forward program gets, they will donate $1 to Huru International. It’s pretty simple – o.b. needs 25,000 shares to meet their goal.
How can you help? All you have to do is visit o.b.’s Share it Forward Facebook page.
If you are not already a fan of the page…
Step 1: Like the mighty.small.movement
Step 2: Select your state from the drop down box (under the green box)
Step 3: Put a check mark next to the box that says you’ve read the Terms & Conditions
Step 4: Click the pink “Click to Share” button to post the message on your Wall
Step 5: Spread the word!
If you are already a fan of the page…
Step 1: Go to the o.b. Outreach Tab on the mighty.small.movement Facebook Page
Step 2: Select your state from the drop down box (under the green box)
Step 3: Put a check mark next to the box that says you’ve read the Terms & Conditions
Step 4: Click the pink “Click to Share” button to post the message on your Wall
Step 5: Spread the word!
I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of o.b. and received a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.”
{ 23 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for sharing Chelsey, this looks like a great cause.
Thanks so much for spreading the word about this girl! It’s so great that we are able to influence to do such great things.
Thank you for bringing attention to this matter, Chelsey. Wow!
What an amazing cause Chelsey! Thank you for sharing this!!!!!!!!!
Thank’s for talking about this Chelsey!! I’m going to go share it on facebook now!
Thanks for highlighting this great cause Chelsey! It’s sad to think that something that is no big deal to us is preventing girls in other countries from getting a proper education. This is such a great way to help out!
What a amazing cause! Great post! I am checking it out now
I heard about this Share It Forward program a couple weeks ago and definitely liked their page immediately! I can’t even imagine having to drop out of school just because you don’t have a pad or tampon. These poor girls have enough to struggle with!
I always need to give myself a reality check sometimes-this was it! Sometimes I will get upset if I can’t get something (don’t we all?) but I have to remind myself-I already have great things that people would die for -a roof over my head, food in my fridge-I am not going to allow myself to get upset over not getting this luxury. I love this program and am very interested in donating!
Thanks so much for sharing. I think it’s important to remember that we have it easy when it comes to educational access, and something we take for granted is preventing so many people from getting the education they deserve.
Chelsey, I tried, but I live in Canada- which won’t let me officially share it. I wonder if there’s a Canadian form of the same movement. I have actually been thinking about this issue lately and would love a practical way to help! It’s awesome what you’re doing by making people aware. Have a beautiful day!
xo
This is such a great cause! I would have never even thought about something like this, thanks for bringing it to everyones attention! I’ll never take a tampon for granted again!
What a great cause, definitely sharing with my friends! I think so many of us don’t take the time to think about the plights of others. But we can do it what we can to help whenever we hear of something that touches our hearts.
I had no idea this was happening, thanks for sharing! I posted on my wall
Thanks so much for bringing awareness through this post. Amazing how things we take for granted (tampons and pads, who would’ve thought!) that we realize so quickly others do not. Thanks for using your blog to help us be more aware
I just shared this on FB. Thanks for sharing it with us, since I didn’t know about this initiative. You’re the best. =)
Awesome cause!! Definitely going to help, Chelsey!
Thanks for bringing that to my attention. We often think about food shortages and such in the news, but even little things like that can have a huge impact!
thanks for sharing this.
there are not many org´s that I support, but this one seems great.
I knew about the problem, but the only solution I had heard about was giving the girls disposable pads and I didn’t think that was a sustainable or practical option. I am so glad to see that there is better option, thanks for sharing.
This is such a great cause and am so glad you shared.
Should it come as any surprise that I have a post in the works for this too.
Going to share now - thanks for bringing this to our attention Chelsey!