Dear Editor,
Days for Girls –Guyana is a non profit organisation which is being organised and managed by volunteers across the country. It was founded in Guyana in September, 2015 while its global establishment began in Kenya, Africa in 2008. The Organisation has been providing social services to over 100 countries and has over 600 chapters and teams around the world. Significantly, its main goal in Guyana is to assist females and in particular girls who are without or have limited access to quality, sustainable feminine hygiene products. In this regard, their priority is to provide menstrual hygiene solutions to every girl and woman in Guyana by the year 2020. Education, health and dignity are some of the key areas of attraction to stimulate the awareness to care for girls so that they remain in school. There have been growing instances of girls dropping out of school after encountering their menstruation and not having the requisite resources to provide for their care. In fact, according to statistics, studies in Kenya show that after receiving Days for Girls kits, the school dropout rate for girls decreased from 36% to 8% while in Uganda it fell from 25% to 3%. In Guyana and in particular Region 2, considerable attention is being placed to facilitate every girl remaining in school even when they would have encountered their menstruation period.
In Region 2 the Organisation began in 2015 with the appointment of a resident Ambassador. The local group is growing and has approximately fifteen members including from the Pomeroon River. Its services have already made an impact with timely donations to both Coastal and Hinterland communities in particular where there are school drop-outs and limited access to health facilities. The local chapter is even determined to further enlighten and educate the various communities through regular and fruitful visits that seek to create a healthier, happier and productive engagement with girls and women in Region 2.While it is quite a challenge for the group to sustain such a noble initiative, partnerships are required including the intervention of the Regional Administration as well as the Department of Education and Labour to further strengthen the human and financial capacity in achieving the desired objectives. I am anticipating that the Administration can provide transportation for both land and sea given that it is extremely costly to travel into the Pomeroon where there are remote villages which are affected by the social phenomenon. More corporate entities are also encouraged to donate financially towards providing kits which will include drawstring bags, ziploc bags, shields with PUL moisture barrier lining, flannel liners for absorbency, underwear, soaps and instruction charts. The local group should therefore be commended for their selfless act of humanitarian gesture and ensuring that the girls and women of Region 2 readily benefit from the services available at no financial cost.
Yours faithfully,
Elroy Stephney