Girls in developing countries often live in poverty and I
was aware of that fact. However, what I did not know until this meeting is
those girls are not allowed to attend school the week of their menstruation
cycle unless they have the necessary sanitary supplies AND basic restroom
facilities at the school. Lorrie and her team found in their travels in India
that both are rare and have been on a mission to raise money for and awareness
about this problem via this not-for-profit that was birthed in DeKalb county.
Many women in our community have embraced this effort with their time, effort,
and donations. In a short time, more girls can attend school because sanitary
supplies are given to those who need them, at school, and very basic restroom
facilities with safe water have been constructed at a few schools and more are
in the works.
However, there are many girls in areas where 50cents.period
has not reached. They miss a week of school a month and often deal with a
stigma that their menstruation makes them unclean and is a curse. Once they
fall behind in school, often they drop out and either get jobs to help the
family or get married very young and start having babies, perpetuating a cycle
of poverty. Basic women’s health education is another piece of Lorrie’s mission
in developing countries. By educating mothers and girls about their bodies and
health, stigmas will vanish, empowerment can take hold and the lives of a
generation of women in India will change, forever.
Last Friday was International Women’s Day. It was also the
day chosen for a fundraiser for 50cents.period, “The Big Red Ball”, hosted at
the Decatur Courthouse. It was a formal
event and we all got to dress up and go out on a Friday night! Big Band Atlanta
played dance music, the Stilleto Dancers performed, Sun in My Belly Restaurant
laid out a lovely buffet and various businesses and individuals (including
Finders Keepers) sponsored the event. Lorrie spoke. You can’t “not give” after Lorrie
speaks about the work and mission of 50cents.period. She is changing the lives
of women for the better, one school at a time, in one town at a time, one
package of 8 sanitary napkins at a time.
You see, a package of 8 sanitary napkins costs 20 rupees,
which is about 50 cents in U.S. currency. Most girls require 3 packages during
their period.
For $1.50 you can guarantee a girl will remain in school for
a month. By supplying this very basic need, a girl will be given a chance to
live a life different from her mother’s. Education is the key that unlocks the
door to possibility, to hope, to empowerment. Women empowered will change the
lives of the next generation for the better. This is doable!
If this information has pulled at your heartstrings, as my
first encounter with this cause did, please go to their website www.50centsperiod.org to find out more, to consider giving, and to join
the effort to change the lives of a generation of girls.
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