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Celebrating the holiday season, Good Neighbours Canada hosted a special holiday kit-packing activity to send 480 menstrual hygiene kits to young girls in our Better Life for Girls program in El Salvador.
On the 4th of December, we partnered with Xero, a technology company that specializes in accounting softwares, wherein four of their staff had volunteered for the activity. On the 12th and 13th of December, we opened the activity to three other volunteers. The volunteers experienced a full morning of programming with Good Neighbours; having the chance to learn more about our organization, learning about the projects that we do including the Better Life for Girls program, and to meet the team behind Good Neighbours Canada.
“I saw that this opportunity was specifically for girls in El Salvador. I’m a Latin woman, so I wanted to give back to my region. I don’t hear about a lot of projects for that region, so I thought it was a great opportunity.”
Our menstrual hygiene kits were provided by our partner Kits for a Cause, an organization that helps provide nonprofits with supplies needed for volunteering activities. Each kit contains items for personal hygiene which the girls may not otherwise have access to; shampoo, conditioner, body wash and a hair brush, as well as menstrual pads for proper menstrual management. The kits also contain additional items to act as personal gifts; eyeshadow and lip balm, giving something enjoyable aside from the essential items.
To add a personal touch, the participants had the opportunity to send a message to the girls receiving the kits. Each one of our participants wrote very heartwarming messages of hope and encouragement. Some had even drawn some nice illustrations and flags to decorate the cards. One of our volunteers, who was actually from Latin America as well, had even written her messages in Spanish. We can only imagine the surprise and joy the girls will feel when they see a message in their local language!
More than sending something special to the girls in El Salvador, the main goal of this activity is for us to provide opportunities for the community to be more aware and involved in our projects, even without donating. We hope to encourage the community to spend their time this holiday season doing meaningful activities for those in need. The activity may only last a few hours, but it has a big impact on the girls in El Salvador.
“I wanted to get involved in my community and be around like-minded people. I joined the Good Neighbours Canada Youth Advisory Committee before, and I really liked my experience there. So, I wanted to be more involved in the next project. I think this activity was well-organized, and everyone was nice and encouraging.”
This activity has been a huge success, and Good Neighbours Canada hopes to continue to provide volunteering opportunities to the community as well as to companies that are interested in fostering charitable values to their staff. Want to host your own kit-packing volunteer activity with us? Visit our group volunteer page to learn more!
