WE REACHED OUR GOAL!!!

Thank you to all who helped make this possible!! Smile Star’D has already begun to reach more girls and boys with life- changing kits and education, while restoring dignity and reducing shame and empowering girls to stay in school and achieve their dreams. Turning Periods to Pathways!! Yes!!

Hello! Monica DaCosta here. I first met Alice Wambui in 2016. I found her to be an amazing young woman with the drive and passion to be a great leader in her community. Since then, we have worked together to launch and expand the Smile Star'D Days for Girls Enterprise in Nakuru, Kenya. I have been in the background, supporting and mentoring Alice, and she has taken the initiative to build a successful business. She has gone far and wide to educate girls and boys about menstruation and distribute reusable kits that help girls stay in school and restore dignity. More than 104,000 kits have been manufactured and distributed by Smile Star'D, which translates into an equal number of girls' lives changed for the better! Smile Star'D is definitely turning periods into pathways!!

It is with great joy that I have the opportunity to launch this fundraising campaign! Once again, our wonderful corporate sponsor is offering to DOUBLE MATCH all donations up to a total of $10,000!! This will mean $30,000 to provide menstrual hygiene education and reusable kits for so many Kenyan girls.

This year the Smile Star'D team will return to Gilgil for another educational program and kit distribution. The Chief there has promised to match 2,000 kits with an additional 2,000!

The team will also be traveling to Baringo County, where another 3,000 kits will be distributed along with the educational component. Baringo is a very rural area and the rates of teen pregnancy, drop-out, and early marriage are very high. Girls there have practically no access to pads and in many cases are using dried leaves to manage their periods. As a result, many girls resort to sex for pads, which leads to the aforementioned challenges.

Smart Starter kits will be distributed at both sites. The kits cost $6.00 each. This amount also covers the transportation cost and wages for the seamstresses and trainers.

Kits include 2 shields, 4 liners, 1 carry pouch, 1 panty, soap, and 1 instruction insert.

Inspiring Testimonial from Janet, head girl at Loitip Secondary School:

“Most of the girls drop from school for lack of sanitary pads and boys take advantage of us by giving small monies in exchange for sex. We get desperate and accept the offer, which has resulted in many teenage pregnancies and school dropouts. With today’s training with Madam Alice, we will not drop school anymore; and the hygiene kits are a great gift to help us be comfortable and concentrate on our studies with confidence.”

Thank you so much for your life-changing donations and your prayers for the continued success of Smile Star'D!