Happy International Women’s Day to all my lady friends! Today (and really everyday) is the perfect opportunity to celebrate gender equality and the empowerment of women.
On this day, each year, I’m filled such gratitude as I think of all the incredible women I’m lucky to know. I am a strong woman because of the one who raised me (that’s you, mama!), and because of all the gals who support me day in and out. I love doing the same for them.
It’s also cool to think of the awesome role models outside our personal lives we can look up to as well, right?
A few top of mind for me lately:
- Michelle Obama: I am loving Becoming, and admire Michelle’s advocacy efforts and grace.
- Lauren Daigle: Her new contemporary Christian album, Look Up Child, has filled my soul lately! Please go listen to Look Up Child and I Say (here on Spotify).
- Celeste Mergens: After a trip to Kenya 11 years ago, Celeste began Days for Girls when she learned girls in an orphanage faced huge challenges monthly because they lacked hygiene options.
Mentioning Celeste now takes me to something that’s tugged at my heart a lot this week…
Did you know without a solution to manage their periods: 1 in 10 girls in Sub-Saharan Africa, 113 million adolescent girls in India, and 30% of girls in rural Brazil will miss school this year?
That’s crazy, right? And heartbreakingly enough, it’s the truth.
Days for Girls (DfG) is a non-profit that helps combat this reality by providing solutions for periods, health education, and social enterprises to women and girls in over 110+ countries. They aim to create a more sustainable, dignified world for girls and shatter stigmas.
That’s why today, I’m not only encouraging you to show extra love to the ladies in your life, I’m also sharing how you can get involved with DfG in case this stirs your heart too!
You’ll see a few easy ways to make a difference below, but there’s even more on their site too.
- Join a local chapter & help sew Days for Girls kits! Kit details and how to find a chapter here.
- Fundraise & change the lives of girls around the world. Details here.
- Are you in Chicago?? Come to a meet & greet next Th, 3/14 from 6 – 8 pm CT at Volumes Bookcafe. We’ll be building awareness, giving away awesome raffle prizes, and sipping wine with friends.
Can’t do any of the above right now, but still want to support? Help the Chicago chapter fundraise here.
Pssst…with just $10 you can provide a girl with a DFG Kit that lasts three years…that’s 180 days she gets back to live her life!
That made my jaw drop when I first read it.
So let’s tell it like it is…empowered women empower women! When we mobilize girls, near and far, their communities and our world grow stronger.
Let’s champion that truth today, friends – women and men alike. You with me?
Wow! What a great post. I did not know that so many young women were effected by the lack of monthly hygiene. I’m going to share this on my FB page. Thanks for all this information.
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Thank you so much, Karen! And thanks for sharing! I appreciate you helping to spread the word – it’s an incredible organization. xo Dayna