Kulea recently received a significant donation, raised by
Heather Crespo. Heather is in high
school in Massachusetts and heard about how many girls in East Africa drop out
of school for lack of funds to buy sanitary pads. They generally miss one week
of school per month and fall behind the boys in class. She also knew there are
alternatives for most girls and became determined to do something about it.
After receiving Heather's donation, we partnered with Huru International and
purchased 40 Huru kits at cost to give to girls in Kenya and Tanzania. The
Kenya kits have been distributed and the Tanzania kits are on their way next
month. Heather shares her story...inspiring!
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| Some of the girls in Mwangulu, Kenya to receive Huru Kits |
My name is Heather Crespo, and I am sixteen years old. Here
is my story about how I was able to help young women and girls through Kulea
Tanzania and Kulea Kenya with pad kits from Huru International.
It all started out of mere curiosity. One day I thought to
myself, “I wonder what girls in third
world countries do when they get their periods?” I asked this question to Kelly
Lacourse, who is on the Kulea Board -- a mission that serves orphans and disadvantaged
children in Kenya and Tanzania --and got my answer: many would have to use
anything: rags or cloth, sometimes even straw or grass, and could not attend
school due to this fact. Because these girls would miss so much school and kept
missing school every month, they fall behind and would be forced to drop out.
This came as a huge shock to me. I couldn't imagine what these girls’ futures
would look like without an education, especially due to something like their
period. I knew right then that I wanted to do something to help these girls
stay in school, because education is a powerful thing that everyone should be
able to receive. I knew that with God’s help, I could make a difference in
these girls’ lives.
I started brainstorming on ways in which I could help the
girls. At first, I had the idea to collect disposable pads to hand out to the
girls, but soon after realized that once the girls used up all of the pads,
they would be back to missing school again. I talked to my mom about my ideas,
and we came to the conclusion that reusable pads were the best option for girls.
Next, I had to think of a way to get the money I needed to
buy these reusable pads. I needed to find a product that both boys and girls,
no matter which age, would buy to support my cause. I thought of wooden church
bracelets. I had seen some people wearing them in my school, and I always
thought they were cute and wanted some myself. But, since they came colors such
as black, brown, and red, boys would buy and wear them, too. I talked to the
headmaster of my school, and he said it would be fine for me to sell the
bracelets at school. With the help of my mom I ordered a huge bundle of
bracelets.
Right when they arrived, I started selling them. I put signs
all around the school, saying “Help empower the young women of Tanzania by
buying a wooden bracelet from Heather Crespo.” I didn’t want to create an
awkward situation, so I took aside the girls in my high school for lunch one
day and told them where exactly the money was going, and what I was buying with
them. I had to disclose this information to some very inquisitive male teachers
as well.
My bracelets were selling like hot cakes! My friends were
calling themselves “padvocates”, and were telling everyone to buy bracelets
from me! Some people bought five, ten or fifteen bracelets! I was making so
much money for “Padfrica”! I even set up a table at my church, and sold the
bracelets there! I ended up making six hundred dollars for my cause, which
bought over 40 pad kits through Huru International. The ladies from Kulea Kenya
then handed out half the kits to young women there, which also included
education on how the kits are used and soon the rest would be handed out in
Tanzania. I was overjoyed! God worked through me, and gave me people such as my
mom and my friends to help my dream come true! When I look at the photos of the
girls smiling, they seem proud of their kits. I know we have helped to empower
them, and it makes me want to help even more.
I intend to make more money, and buy more pad kits, for
these Kenyan & Tanzanian young women. With the help of God and my friends
and family, their future is bright!
Sincerely,
Heather
To learn more about this problem among young girls, check
out this video which aired last week in Kenya on Kenya Citizen TV.
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