Thank you so much for making a difference in the lives of women and girls! Kits are an important way to spur conversations about health, leadership, and safety...and they are only the beginning. No distribution is complete without health education, so read on for a distribution checklist and helpful hints on what to include in discussions.

 

DISTRIBUTION CHECKLIST

• Distribution Handbook

  • English

  • Spanish

  • French 

• The Official DfG Ambassador of Women’s Health Flipchart: This full-color chart is not only a great teaching tool, but also has much more information than the care booklet. Providing health education is almost as important as the DfG  Kits themselves. Imagine never being told what a period was, or thinking that menstruation was a sign of HIV. Knowledge is the best way to combat shame, protect girls, and bring women and girls all over the world closer together. Purchase here. Take the free course here.

• Tippy-Tap Handwashing Stations are a great component to add to your distribution. They are also a great way to involve boys. Learn how to make one here.

• Soap: Each Kit should come with one hotel or travel-size bar of soap, but you can purchase additional bars in the country where you’re going, to make it easier for girls and women to take care of their Kits!

• Sharpie Markers: These can help identify whose Kit is whose, if you’re doing a distribution in a large group like a boarding school or orphanage.

• Glitter and/or a beach-ball: These are tools to teach and break down barriers during distribution. See the distribution handbook for more information.

 

 

TALKING POINTS FOR DISTRIBUTION

• Do a panty demonstration: have someone stand on a chair in front of the group and pull underwear up over their pants, and then show how to attach a shield and liner to the underwear. This never fails to crack audiences up, and it’s also a great way to help people understand to use them, especially if they haven’t used underwear before (this is the case in many parts of the world.)

• Explain how you can layer up with two or more liners per shield if you need more absorbency.

• Explain how to put soiled liners in one of the Ziplocs for storage until they can wash it, or for pre-soaking before wash (to cut down on water use).

• Explain how to wash gently, and that you can just use soap and water, and that liners should be dried completely, in the sun.

• Remind them the Kits have been reported as lasting for up to 3 years, and how long is determined by how well they take care of the Kits.

• Pick a volunteer to be the teacher and explain back to everyone how to use the Kit.

• Make time for Q&A. Don’t forget to have fun!

 

 

SHOW THEM HOW DfG KITS WORK

This is VITAL. If recipients don't know how to use DfG Kits properly, this can cause health problems for girls and women, as well as drastically shorten the lifespan of the DfG Kit.

 

Proper care is vital to ensure no infection happens. Have someone stand up front and demonstrate how to snap a shield/liner onto panties, and then pull the panties on over their pants (this never fails to immediately create a fun and relaxed atmosphere, and to create a connection between the facilitators and girls/women receiving Kits.)

 

Explain how to add the liners into the shield and how to layer more than one liner for days when their flow is heavy. Many girls like to start with two liners in their shield "just in case". Then they only need to replace the top layer if the second has not become soiled. Show how to remove and fold their soiled liner and tuck it in their Ziploc or wetbag and then apply a new liner.

 

Explain how to launder and that drying in the sun is essential to killing any germs.

 

Pass out the DfG Kits and have one of the girls volunteer to "be the teacher" and repeat what you showed as the girls try it themselves.

 

Be sure to have fun and have Q & A afterwards. Remind them that DfG Kits have been reported by users as lasting 2 -3 years, and that how long they last is determined by how well they care for their DfG Kits.

 

LAUNDERING TIPS (TO ENSURE DfG KITS CREATE MORE DAYS)

It's vital for the health of those using DfG Kits and the long term health of the DfG Kit that all recipients learn how to use and properly care for them. Girls should always be instructed to keep soiled components in their extra baggie to be washed daily. The soiled pads should first be rinsed-- this can even be "gray water" (water used for other purposes, such as cooking or cleaning). Then they should gently swish or knead the components just a bit (very gently, we don't want to wear the bag). Then spill away the most "colorful" water into the latrine or toilet where available. In any case, an area away from households and public areas (some areas designate a drainage area.) Many cultures have aversion to handling menses so this pre-wash phase is an important part of enabling easy care. At this point, the kits are quite easy to clean with very little soap and water. 

 

Important: Ensuring that your DfG Kit components are carefully washed and fully dried is important for maintaining their longevity and keeping them free from bacteria.  While all DfG Kit components can and should be dried in the sun (UV rays kill microbes), there is also the option to iron dry some, but not all, components. DfG Liners can be ironed dry, but please note that ironing DfG Shields will damage their waterproof layer. For this reason, DfG Shields should never be ironed to dry.  

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What if they don't have access to water? Then washable kits are not for them... until they have access to water. A clean DfG Kit is a healthy DfG Kit. Period.