I have always believed the North Kitsap community to be one with a big heart. That conviction was confirmed this week when the fundraiser, “Game Changer for Girls,” organized by Poulsbo North Kitsap Rotary and Side by Side, a local non-profit serving in South Africa, attracted numerous sponsors and sold out well in advance of the event to be held next month.
It is heartening to know that the generosity of your readers and North Kitsap residents in general extends beyond supporting local programs to include worthwhile projects that improve the quality of life in disadvantaged communities around the world. In this case, they are supporting Side by Side, Poulsbo North Kitsap Rotary and Days for Girls International to develop a program that truly is a game changer in the lives of young women in South Africa.
Together, these organizations are raising money to establish and fund in-country micro-enterprises, provide trainers to make and deliver feminine hygiene kits, and bring valuable health education to girls who have never been taught about their normal bodily functions nor had access to affordable feminine hygiene products. These girls miss an average of five days of school or work every month because they are forced to stay home, often in isolation, during their menstrual cycle. Imagine how missing 60 days a year of school or work would affect any young woman’s chance to succeed.
It is a serious problem, but the producing partners of the “Game Changer for Girls” event are using the proceeds to provide a sustainable, eco-friendly, job-creating and affordable solution. When young women don’t have to be isolated nor miss so many days of school or work each month, they develop a new sense of pride in themselves and have a better chance of realizing their full potential.
On behalf of those girls, the Poulsbo North Kitsap Rotary, Side by Side, and Days for Girls International thank the many residents and local businesses whose generous support of “Game Changer for Girls” event is, indeed, changing their lives.
For more information about this amazing program, contact Side by Side at 360-710-1069 or Poulsbo North Kitsap Rotary at www.poulsborotary.org.
Brenda Wall, chair
Poulsbo North Kitsap Rotary
International Committee
