Dago, Kenya
In June of 2020, while the world was under lockdown, DesignLabGive prioritized the well-being of the Dago community in Kenya, by providing 2-hour zoom classes once a week selectively chosen for the needs of Dago girls during pandemic times.
We are grateful to have worked with One Way Out Kenya, Friends of Dago, Weiss Scholarship Foundation, Dream Sponsors, and Sanguinetti and Company in this mission.
DesignLab Give has donated the tools needed for the new Sewing Center within the school—a place where creativity, sustainability and design is the focus.
Our current project has been to teach reusable sanitary pads while simultaneously providing education in feminine care.
We will be training future educators so girls from Dago, as well as nearby towns, can continuously benefit long after we are gone.
Why?
"The lack of menstrual hygiene products inflicts indignity upon millions of women and girls in Africa.
The harsh reality is that disposable sanitary products are prohibitively unaffordable for many girls and women, making it difficult to maintain good menstrual hygiene. The grave lack of appropriate sanitary towels can push menstruating girls out of school, which results in absenteeism and increased dropout rates.
There is no dignity without basic necessities such as sanitary napkins. This perpetuates a culture of silence that forces many to cope in isolation." - South African Human Rights Commission
Kasese, Uganda - Current Initiative
Our friends in Kasese, Uganda from Arise For Families joined our Dago Zoom classes in September 2020 as a trial.
They started connecting via cell phone until we asked our Instagram followers for help in donating the equipment they needed to properly connect to Zoom.
In less than a week, our followers got together and we were able to send them money to buy a laptop, a TV screen, a modem and a generator.
We are grateful to our donors for helping us connect properly to Uganda!
Tenke, Congo - Current Initiative
Our special friendship with Hear Congo’s founder, Kaleba Ngoie, started in the Fall of 2019.
DLG donated fabrics to her organization and just a few weeks later, we saw pictures of the women in Tenke, Congo sewing away.
During the beginning of the pandemic, we shared our mask tutorial with the group, and once again, we were amazed by the creative masks made by the women of Hear Congo.
Strong friendships with organizations that share our same vision proved to be key, yet again.
