Amani Africa Period Project 2019

Menstruation is experienced by every woman during her lifetime. Unfortunately, for some women and girls, education about menstruation and what that means for them is not readily available. Many women also face barriers in accessing safe and sustainable menstrual hygiene products. Our mission is to provide education and menstrual hygiene kits to 2400 girls in rural Tanzania in November 2019.

For a Tax Receipt please donate through link: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/days-for-girls-canada-society/ ; once at link go to "apply your donation to a specific fund set up by this charity" and select Tanzania Project

This project was started by a team of three Albertan Registered Nurses. Nicole works at the Stollery in Edmonton. Kristin works as an Clinical Nurse Educator in Edmonton and Hanna works at Children’s hospital in Calgary. We are three inspired young nurses who are passionate about service and global citizenship. We will be traveling to Tanzania in November 2019 in support of women's health. We are working alongside two organizations: Amani Africa and Days for Girls, to distribute re-usable, sustainable menstrual hygiene kits to school-aged Tanzanian girls. This Period Project came to fruition through collaboration with the owners of Amani Africa. They identified women’s health as a prioritized need in their community. 


Unfortunately, in Tanzania menstruation is still considered a taboo topic with limited education and resources available to most girls. The stigma and lack of product availability during girls’ menstrual cycle can potentially prevent young women from attending school. Our hope is that by providing appropriate menstrual hygiene products, we will support and enable girls to remain in school regardless of their menstrual cycle. Furthermore, the information we will disseminate is intended to empower girls in regards to their health and menstrual hygiene; in hopes of also enhancing girls’ quality of life.


We are fundraising to bring Days for Girls menstrual hygiene kits to girls in rural Tanzania. Each kit includes 2 pairs of underwear, 2 outer pads, 8 fleece liners, 2 ziplock bags, 1 face cloth and an information handout inside of a pull string bag. Each kit will be purchased from Days for Girls branches in Alberta and Tanzania. The kits cost $10 each and can last for 3-4 years if properly maintained. Along with kit distribution, we will provide a 2 hour educational session on growth & development, menstrual cycle, women's’ health and how to use and maintain the menstrual hygiene kits. Our goal is to reach 2400 girls through education and dispensing of kits.


Nicole had the opportunity to visit Tanzania in the winter of 2018. Nicole was able to provide education and menstrual hygiene kits to over 1200 girls, through the partnerships with Amani Africa and Days for Girls. We are grateful to be able to extend the scope of this meaningful project, in addition to deepening our connections with the two organizations.


We are requesting your support in making this project a success! There are multiple ways for you to support the Amani Africa Period Project 2019. We are currently looking for donors to support the following items:


Purchase of hygiene kits

Cost of transporting the kits from Arusha to the rural schools

Cost of flying the kits purchased In Alberta to Tanzania

Cost of printing educational handouts to be added to each kit

Cost of printing large Flip charts to use during the 2-hr presentation


Feel Free to comment here or contact us directly for more information on this project and how you can be of support.


Sincerely,


Nicole Finseth, Hanna Schaef & Kristin Jennings

Registered Nurses


**All Funds Raised Will Go Directly To the Purchase and Distribution of The Menstrual Hygiene Kits. No Funds Will Be Used For Cost of Travel, Accommodations, etc. of The Volunteers.