I’ve been meaning to start writing a MoonCatcher blog from home and now, as I sit in the airport in Newark, waiting for a flight to visit my best friend Dawn in Portland, I’m writing my first “at home” piece. I’ll try to do this once a month or so, in order to give an account of what the MoonCatcher Project is up to from my own personal view. Or, I’ll just write some stories of day to day stuff that happens in this organization.

For example, I was recently invited to dinner by Rotarian friends of mine. They wanted to catch up after their trip to Pakistan and to talk about The MoonCatcher Project. They had taken a few kits with them and had given them to some girls. Their friends from Pakistan were visiting and I had a chance to talk with this lovely family about what it’s like in Pakistan when a girl gets her period. The really cool thing was that the teenage daughters were happy to answer my questions. It’s always mind blowing for me to hear about other cultures around this issue. In Pakistan girls are told not to wash, at all, during this time and they avoid certain foods like eggs and nuts. Mostly the onset of Menstruation is a scary surprise. The girls I spoke to knew what to expect because their mother is a family practice doctor and the whole family is open and educated. Generally, it’s just not common practice to talk about menstruation.

The MoonCatcher Project will be going to India this fall!

I’ve thought of India before and have even sent some pads there but I figured we’d wait for a while before we did anything “big” there. Then the universe took over. I met a wonderful, powerhouse of a woman named Ruchika from Delhi, India now living here in the Capital District. Ruchika has convinced me that the time is right for us to bring MCP to India. She is working tirelessly to prepare for our October trip.  Our plan is to establish one, or possibly two, sewing cooperatives in the Delhi area.  I will keep you all posted!