Sunday 26th April 2020

Hope Dignity Strength Health Education Freedom Empowerment Liberty Safety

Every Girl . Everywhere . Period

An important Notice from Mackay DfG Team Leader – Di Catto

Being in receipt of the letter below - it had come to my attention that Bridging Health Rockhampton has been able to gain approval to have a shipping container sent to Vanuatu…

“We are sending a shipment of emergency donations to Vanuatu on the 20th May, for distribution to Tanna, Pentecost, Ambrym and Santo.

Tanna is our focal area, and so we need to fulfill our promise to continue distribution to students there as a priority.

However, with category 5 Cyclone Harold destroying much of the northern islands, we have had an appeal from our National Director of Operations, for kits for Ambrym, Pentecost and Santo, as sanitary supplies are not deemed at this stage to be 'essential' supplies.

I guess in the light of losing shelter, food and clean water sources, we do understand that efforts are directed to the greatest needs. We would love to fulfill Enneth's request for kits and can assure Days for Girls Teams that the kits will always be distributed along with education and instructions.

Many students have lost their schools, along with their homes in these northern regions, and as they find their feet, they will be learning under make-shift school shelters.

Everything stable and familiar has been ripped away. We want students in these villages to know that we recognise and know their needs and will provide them every opportunity to return to learning, and to access that learning without interruption, giving them the freedom to a full education.

The kits would be distributed alongside the donations and COVID19 instructions. Two more Ni Vanuatu Bridging Health leaders are preparing to complete the Men Who Know Course as well.

We have flipcharts in French and English. We have printed course manuals for our leadership to go through, to allow our volunteer mentors on Ambrym, Santo and Pentecost (who don't have access to the online course) to complete training if more leaders are necessary.

Bridging Health Inc count it a privilege to distribute Days for Girls kits, and thank any teams able to send kits for this shipment.

We will be packing and locking the shipping container for transfer to Brisbane, between the 15-18th May. Any help would be greatly appreciated. “

At present, Days for Girls Mackay has 225 kits at hand. These were to go to the Solomon Islands as part of the 300 kits commitment, supported by the doTERRA Australia Grant we received at the end of 2019.
After discussions with the DfG Mackay Team Committee and the Queensland DfG Coordinator, the decision was made to send these kits to where they are most needed right at this present time, and that is Vanuatu!

With the current world situation, it is not known when we will be able to distribute to other parts of the world which we have supported in the past. Therefore, the discussion came about, and the decision was to assist Vanuatu in its time of great need.

Via the wonders of modern digital technology, a call for assistance was made to other Days for Girls Groups – Australia wide. The response was totally overwhelming! Days for Girls Mackay’s shipment of DfG kits to Vanuatu will be supported by kits from, not just our two closest Queensland groups of Rockhampton and Hervey Bay, but from Days for Girls groups from as far away as South Australia and Western Australia!

We are thinking that there would be - in excess of 1500 kits – on their way to Vanuatu in the very near future.

What an effort for Days for Girls – not just the Mackay Team, but Australia wide!

It can’t even be put into plain and simple words - how much our DfG Team work means to the women who receive a Days for Girls kit!

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