Sewing Bags for Days for Girls International
I haven’t sewed any fabric gift bags or wine bottle bags this year, but that doesn’t mean I have stopped making bags! This crop of drawstring bags will be headed to the Days for Girls foundation, where they will be used to hold feminine hygiene kits for girls who would otherwise have to stay home from school when they have their periods.
From the foundation’s website:
“What if not having sanitary supplies meant DAYS without school, DAYS without income, DAYS without leaving the house? Girls use leaves, mattress stuffing, newspaper, corn husks, rocks, anything they can find…but still miss up to 2 months of school every year. Worse, girls are often exploited in exchange for hygiene (see one girl talk about it here). It turns out this issue is a surprising but instrumental key to social change for women all over the world. The poverty cycle can be broken when girls stay in school.”
You can find patterns on the Days for Girls site for sewing all the components of the hygiene kits. I zeroed in on the bags because of my love of making bags.
I’d love to know what charities you all support with your sewing. Do you have one you especially recommend to the rest of us?
I sew blankets for a birth center in Bali when I have the time. It feeds my pleasure in being of service, and also ‘scoring’ bargain remnants and fabric!
I was inspired by your photo of the bags you made for daysforgirls.org and found they have a group in Florida, where I winter. Contacted their leader and had her mail me enough labels for two dozen bags, which I am right now sewing. While I do lots of other sewing/quilting for charities, this one really touched my heart and I will continue to support these girls. Thank you so much for having put this information out there for others who might like to work on projects smaller than quilts.
Elaine, you made my day. I actually wondered when I posted about Daysforgirls.org whether readers would be interested in a non-quilting project. Now I know! I have a pile of bags waiting to go in the mail because I think I might get another few done after my kids go back to school next week. So glad you took an interest and that you let us know about what you are doing.
I support American Heroes and Wounded Warriors with my quilting. Two of my daughters and my SIL are in the military and supporting military families this way has become tradition for me.
That sounds very rewarding, Susan, and close to home for you personally. I make quilts for my daughters’ schools to raffle off or sell at school events, and I am about to donate a bunch of quilts to the local homeless shelter that hosts families.