The Your Smalls appeal is all about helping girls deal with the problems of puberty in some of the poorest places in the world. It’s about breaking the cycle of poverty and getting people educated. All with locally-made menstruation kits and the UK’s recycled bras!
Breaking the Cycle with Underwear!
Parts of Gambia are exceptionally poor, which produces a breeding ground for ignorance, and makes education a secondary priority to simply getting by. This poverty means that for the vast majority of girls on their periods, attending school is out of the question.
That’s a week of school missed per month, every month. In a part of the world where kids are very much needed to help around the home in the evenings, it becomes nearly impossible to stay on top of schoolwork long-term. If you can’t get the grades, you’re going to end up stuck in a cycle of poverty.
Allowing girls to attend school through their period allows them to break this cycle, achieving the levels of education needed to go further in their academic life, or achieve other big things. This can prompt huge economic environment shifts in villages where more girls are able to study and learn properly because of menstruation kits.
Dealing with Ignorance
Ignorance quickly begins to seem inescapable when combined with extreme levels of poverty. Superstitious beliefs, like menstruating women not being allowed to cook food, enter buildings with men, or milk animals are perpetuated, especially when there’s limited safe ways of dealing with periods.
Our kits, combined with underwear and bras allow girls in Gambia to feel dignified and deal with periods healthily.
In a part of the world where the problems can sometimes seem really overwhelming, it’s amazing that you can give a girl a future by recycling your bras or donating a little money. Go to our site at Your Smalls, and take a look at what you can do to help out!