Valentine Love!
Wow it’s been cold. My morning walks have me all bundled up and reading temperatures of minus numbers. But I love these clear, blue-skied days and am beginning to feel the light creeping in my windows earlier and earlier every morning.
Olipa coordinates all MCP activities in Malawi. We are wishing her a complete and speedy recovery from COVID.
MCP delegation visits continue to be postponed due to the pandemic. I’m just not feeling safe enough to travel yet. Our partner Olipa in Malawi is just recovering from COVID and several of our tailors have had it in the past couple of months. Fortunately, they all seem to be recovering well.
Our sewing guilds are going full speed ahead and we are increasing production everywhere. Both Uganda and Malawi schools have reopened and our teachers are beginning to distribute kits to students again. We decided to give all the tailors a raise too. Prices have increased dramatically since COVID. We are hopeful that increasing our stipends will help our tailors meet those costs.
Jacky is shown with students at the Lewa Secondary school in Kenya where she visited in January 2022.
Our partner from the Shashi Kiran Charitable Trust, Ruchika, has been in India since December. She has been working hard to forge new partnerships with government agencies and nonprofits who can deliver our kits and curriculum. Recently she has been working with the Khushiya NGO (photos below) and Stand for Kashmiri Youth (SKY) TRUST. Read more about the work of MCP and SKY here!
It’s almost Valentine’s day. My daughter Pisie and I love this day. We make each other homemade cards and hang hearts in our houses. Sometimes I stamp a big heart in the snow with my boots. No buying, no adding to the commercial part: just messages of love.
The MoonCatcher Project would love to send a Valentine for you. You can send it to your loved ones for a donation of just $5.00 which will help to keep a girl in school. More info here.
Fundraising Update
Our year end fundraising campaign was a huge success, and we met our goal of raising $30,000 between November 15 and December 31. Thanks again to all of you who donated!
FaceBook continues to be a great source of funding for MCP. Individual FaceBook campaigns in honor of birthdays, holidays, retirement, or nothing at all brought in nearly $10,000 last year. Those funds will provide 2,000 girls with all they need to manage menstruation.
We also are very pleased that many of our donors are choosing to provide recurring donations (either monthly or quarterly). Interested? Visit our giving page and click on “select donation frequency.”
Details are coming soon on Ellie’s virtual birthday bash to put a dent in period poverty in our area!
And lastly, our annual Birthday Bash is coming up. In honor of my Birthday at the end of March we ask that you donate disposable menstrual supplies to The MoonCatcher Project. We deliver them to homeless shelters and food pantries in need of these supplies. Keep an eye on our website and Facebook page for details later this month.
Be well, stay warm, may all your hearts be happy!
Ellie