Imagine....

Happy Birthday Day

Days for Girls

(a day late, but you know what they say... better late than never)

 

I feel so blessed to be a part of such a great organization. 

Founded in 2008 Days for Girls has been changing the world one pair of panties at a time! 

 

  How is that possible?

 

SIMPLE

 

Every Girl. Everywhere.

Period.

Days for Girls aim is to empower

girls and women worldwide

to have access to sustainable quality

feminine hygiene, health, education

and dignity ​ by 2022.

 

This is done by sending feminine hygiene kits to girls in developing countries.

 

Each kit contains

1 Pair of panties

2 shields

8 liners

face cloth

2 large Ziploc bags

(aka the world's smallest washing machines)

&

Instructions for use and care.
A bar of soap is also added when they reach their destination.

 

That one pair of panties included in the kit changes the girl's . . .INSTANTLY!

 

I.N.S.T.A.N.T.L.Y.

 

Imagine, not having to look through garbage heaps on the side of the road, using paper, leaves, dried animal dung, cardboard, old rags pretty much anything you can find to block or try to stop their periods.  Imagine not having the means to be able to purchase what was needed each month. Imagine going to the store and there is NOTHING on the shelves to be able to purchase even if you were able.  Imagine using anything absorbent that you happen to "find".  Imagine washing disposable products to try to be able to use them again.   Imagine.....   for 100's of 1000's of young women around the world they do not have to imagine, for this is their reality. 

 

To a woman in a developed nation any of the above scenarios seem unimaginable. We go to the store and face a wall of options, dozens of choices,  with applicator or with out, with wings without, heavy days, light days, thin pad, long liner, regular, ultra thin.... the list goes on. Then we have the audacity to get upset when the ONE style we prefer is out of stock.   Imagine life without those options.... 

 

If you can imagine even a portion of the struggles girls in developing nations face, then you can imagine the change a hygiene kit can make. In that instant, there is hope.  Hope opens doors.   

 

Based on a montly cycle lasting 7 days & each kit lasting aprox 3 years, each kit reclaims
 252 DAYS of living.

 

Days where they do not have to stay at home

Days where they can go to school

Days when they will not have to feel like they do not belong

Days they will be educated

Days that that they will be able to work

Days where they can support  their family

Days when they can participate in life!

 

252          DAYS

6048       Hours

362, 880      Minutes

21222800    Seconds

 

When she receives a kit she will no longer have to saty at home when her period arrives.  Education is possible,  an educated girl WILL change her world.

Imagine the possiblities..... 

 

 

 

  



 

5 min Friday free write.....

I recently linked to Lisa-Jo's site via another blog I read and was immediately drawn to the concept of a 5 min free write,  

"No extreme editing; no worrying about perfect grammar, font, or punctuation.

Unscripted. Unedited. Real"

 

Every Friday at one minute past midnight a new writing prompt is posted and off you go.....  well I totaly forgot about it at one min past midnight so here I go now..... with a little bit of trepidation.

 

 

 

 

Oct 5

 

Welcome......

 

Your Welcome  - politeness

Welcome to our Home  - hospitality, graciousness

Welcome to the world -  Excitement newness
Welcome to the family - Hopefulness, wondering

Your welcome to try....  - Fear, adventure, learning

you do not want to overstay your welcome....  - oh oh.

 

(Ugh phone rings...answer or let ring.. right now it is NOT a WELCOME interuption... )

 

Welcome to my world, when I sit to do something I often get interupted. In a house of 5, and 2 extras under 4  2 days a week, it is inevidable.  Sometimes those are welcome interuptions such as a visit from a friend,  or a quick kiss from my sweetie.  Other times they are not so welcome, the knock of a child on the bathroom door when you just NEED 2 min of quiet.  We have all been there.  

 

BUT How often am I the interuption?  How often are my interuptions welcome, or unwelcome?  I pray that I do not overstay my welcome, that when I knock on the door people truly desire to welcome me in - Do I even think about such things in the moment?  Or do I just assume? 

there is one with whom I know without a doubt I am always welcome...  I am thankful that I know without a doubt when I knock on the door of heaven one day I will be welcomed with open arms, and that on that day there is no overstaying one's welcome because I will finally know where home truly is.

 

(Shoot, I over shot by 1 min.. must have been the phone call or first time jitters) 

 

Sticking to 5 min was a little tough, once I got started I wanted to keep going. The urge to go back re read, re type was strong, old habits are hard to break.  I look forward to next week and playing along again. (maybe I will even remember at one min after midnight....)

 

     Click the link to join the fun.  I know all my scrapbooking / journaling friends will love it.  (O.K. Some of you will and others are thinking... here she goes again preaching the importance of Journaling -  Remember only you can tell YOUR story!)

 

Happy writing

Di

 

 







"WINNER" in the lottery of LIFE....

Be it by simple luck of genetics, birth right or purely by the luck of the draw I have won the Lottery of life, as have most of you!  The lottery of life is not a major influx of cash, though we are wealthy, it is not a new car, though in all likely hood we have at least test driven one in our lives, it is not flashy or rare, but it is most valuable.   The lottery of life winners are winners simply because of where they have been born.  I win because I have been born in Canada, in North America.  Others win because they were born the USA, parts of Europe, Australia and a handful of other developed nations in the world, nothing more, nothing less simply LOCATION of birth. 

That's it.... LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION -  they say that is the key element in business, in retail product placement and now lottery winners!   By simple location of birth we are wealthy, the vast majority can easily provide the essentials of life food, clothing and shelter, with out much trouble.  Remember I said ESSENTIALS of life, not the EXTRAS.  So many people, simply because they were not in a Lottery winner LOCATION at birth do not have the LUXURY of providing the essentials.

I challenge you to take 18 min of your time and watch this TED video....  and maybe YOU can help someone win the lottery despite their location.

Together we can make a difference.

Graduation..... what a beauty.

Today's wordless Wednesday was a no brainer.  Graduation of our second daughter has taken the spotlight.  Hard to believe, time flies......

Wordless Wednesday take 1

Working on a new WED feature....

I have to confess this is not a new idea fresh from my own head, I first saw it on a friends blog
Hopf In Niger , I love the concept of a day dedicated to photos, life as it is right now etc.  I have since found a few other sites that do similar things. The concept is quite simple, we all know the saying a photo is worth 1000 words, post a photo or photos on Wednesday, and let them speak for themselves. 

I am going to give it a try.  I know that means I have to be on the ball, to get photo's ready to roll each week, I am hoping it will motivate me in a few ways.  First to pick up my camera again, Second to actually download them and deal with them and finally to share and blog regularly.  Let's see how it goes.  First photo(s) to be added today....... I hope you enjoy !

Trash & Blessings

I love it when all the pieces fit together, especially in unexptected ways. Turning trash to treasure, and blessing many people in the process.  

Inventory is never a fun part of any job, this year as we faced a warehouse downsize, inventory certainly was going to be a bigger challenge than ever.  We counted and sorted and the trash pile grew.  There were lots of useful things that had been sitting on the shelves not selling, in some cases for years, we needed the shelf space, so they were getting the heave ho.  So sad, these were perfectly good products that had huge potential to help someone.   I asked my boss what his plans were and he said he would like to donate them somewhere but did not know where to even start.  WAHOO... I jumped in and told him that I would ask my connections in Niamey, Niger, West Africa if they thought the items could be of use.  Doc Ace assured me that he thougth the items could be put to good use.

That was all I needed to hear, we were off and running. I packed up the "trash" and took it home.  Thankfully my husbands office has this HUGE empty basement area that we are able to store things if we need to.  So off to his office went the 5 very large boxes of "trash" to be stored untill I could figure out how to get it to Africa.  Worst case senerio it would take a couple of years and return with team members heading back after some time home in Canada in 2013.  I was o.k. with that - but kept my ears open and let a few people know that I had things to send to Niamey.  The prayers went up and I waited...


God had a much faster plan.  Just before Easter, my momma called to say that they had a speaker at their church from Niamey, and that she was going back in a week.  YIPPEE!   I sent of a quick email, asking her if she had room in her suitcase..and if so would she mind taking a few items with her.  Not only did she have room, she was only travelling with one suitcase so I could send a whole FULL suit case with her.  God certainly was putting the pieces of the puzzle together.  So I packed up 48 lbs (limit is 50 - but you never quite know how close scales are. so better to be safe than sorry, or paying the over weight charge.) of wrist supports, knee braces, cervical collars, walking boots and a few other odds and ends.  Said a prayer that they would get into the hands of those who can use them and off they went.

Yesterday I received an email from Deborah an occupational therapist that works at Galmi Hosptial, several hours outside of Niamey. The Suitcase had arrived at the hosptial yesterday, simply marked Gamli, with no "attention to" or proper address, they had no idea what it was, where it came from or who it was for.  Peices of the puzzle, coming together yet again. A doctor at the hospital opened it, took one look and said, this is for Deborah.  She was over the moon excited - and stated that she had been praying last week about their need for wrist supports.  The suitcase had just what she needed, God had answered her prayer BEFORE she prayed it.  I had picked the trash, packed the suitcase and sent it on it's way BEFORE she even uttered the prayer of need.  How utterly cool is that?   God is in the business of BIG PICTURES,  He sees them and put the peices of the puzzle together in perfect order.

I sit in awe, I am blessed beyond measure to be part of the big picture.  I wonder how the pieces will fit together for the next suitcase, there are still several boxes good "trash" to go.   Secretly I hope and pray I will be able to carry it and deliver it, to see in person the final destination.  A girl can dream.  In the meantime I am happy to put it all together at this end so that our trash will be someones treasure.  Blessing all who are part of the BIG PICTURE.