Summer is here!

What a beautiful day. The sun is shining, and a slight breeze is blowing. It’s warm but not hot yet; my idea of the best weather possible. My garden agrees. I picked another armload of lettuces and radishes yesterday and harvested all my scapes too.

The MoonCatcher “Shoot for the Moon” auction was a great success. We came close to our $15,000 goal – not bad for our first attempt!  We also learned a lot about raising money on-line.

We are grateful to the many volunteers who helped to make this event a success!

Thank you to all the “basket makers” and donors of other goods too. Thank you to the auction committee members who worked so hard to create a professional event that ran smoothly. Special thanks to Melissa Mellon who did all the auction site work and put up with the “non-techies” in our group. Thank you also to all the bidders and to those who bought raffle tickets or made donations without bidding. At our final, “raise a glass and review what we did,” virtual party we agreed that it would be worth doing again next year.

COVID is on the rise in many parts of Africa, including Uganda, Kenya and Malawi.  On June 7, Uganda was ordered into another lock down, so again our tailors are working from home. Schools are closed and children are home. Once again, people living with these restrictions face the many hardships involved.  In Kenya, restrictions are in place in Kisumu, where our cooperative is located.  Our prayers are with MCP Board Member Agnes Pala-Bukhala who is in Kisumu now, as well as all of those impacted by this horrible virus.

Right before the shutdown Phoebe was able to send photos of the new MoonCatcher/Uganda sewing building that had been moving forward at top speed. It’s almost completed but work has ground to a halt until the shutdown is lifted.

MCP/Uganda’s new building — under construction and on hold for the time being.

In Malawi, on the other hand, MCP cooperatives are busy making lots of kits (650 every month) and Olipa is distributing them to schools along with our curriculum.

MCP tailor, Esme, at work making MoonCatcher Kits.

Agnes delivered a 50-pound suitcase full of waterproof fabric (thank you to Louisa Lombardo for cutting 2,000 pieces), calendars and a bunch of flip-flops donated by my niece, Maggie. Jacky, our Kenya partner, will send some of the waterproof fabric to Uganda for Phoebe once the shutdown is lifted. Jacky’s group has been sewing 200 kits about every three weeks and goes to 2-3 schools every month.  This may change with new restrictions recently announced.

Kit distribution recently with Olipa, MCP/Malawi coordinator.

In India, the second wave of COVID-19 infections seems to have waned and much of the country is returning to normal – though experts have already warned of a possible third wave within weeks. Our partners at the Shashi Kiran Charitable Trust, led by Ruchika Jaggi, have worked tirelessly to expand MCP in India. Ruchika reports that the sewing center is open, and five employees are again producing 2,000 kits per month.

Kit distribution in India, March 2021.

As of March 2021, MCP/Shashi Kiran India has produced over 25,000 reusable kits and reached over 20,000 girls - providing a free, eco-friendly solution to menstruation management along with the menstrual and reproductive health curriculum.  Ruchika has already trained over 100 government teachers to deliver the curriculum.  She has brought our work to Manipur, Haridwar, Rishikesh, Patiala, Dehradun, Nashik, and West Bengal in collaboration with various partners.  Most recently In Meghalaya, West and East Jaintia Hills District the Shashi Kiran Charitable Trust is working with the Health and Beyond Foundation, Delhi, through their public health consultant for Meghalaya, Dr. D.E. Laloo, to ensure the transportation of the MoonCatcher kits to the districts. Read Dr. Laloo’s report here.

Our partners in Nigeria have been busy producing and distributing MoonCatcher kits with the support of the Victor Foundation. I have been able to Zoom with them to see how they are doing and to answer their questions.

I also conferenced with the Rotary Club in the Philippines too where tailors are beginning to make kits and identify schools in need.

Nigerian tailors with completed MoonCatcher Kits.

We have been focused on outreach lately.  I did an “in person” (though outside) presentation for the Glenville Rotary and another virtual presentation for the Scotia Rotary this month. I was so pleased to be interviewed by Brea Barthel on the radio with the Hudson Mohawk Magazine (listen here) on Sanctuary Radio. I also spoke by Zoom with a board member of the REVE Kandale Foundation.

There is beginning to be a lot of buzz about MoonBees. We are talking about how best to do these and when. Right before our COVID-19 shutdown in 2020 we had trained 11 women to help facilitate our MoonBees, but they were never able to really start the actual work. Now we are working on a facilitators review session and careful planning to share the workload. We’ll keep you posted!

So, we are busy and working hard to be thoughtful about how to open our work again. I hope all of you are doing ok and enjoying the summer weather. We had learned, during our long isolation, to listen to the birds and notice the opening buds. I hope we don’t forget to do this.

Thank you all so very much,

Ellie