The MoonCatcher Project Board of Directors is happy to announce that we have hired a part-time Assistant Director. I am delighted to welcome Charlotte Mack Barrett, long time board member, and supporter of MCP. Charlotte has traveled to Malawi twice with me and looks forward to visiting other countries where we work. She has resigned from the board, effective July 31, to join the staff on August 1. She brings enthusiasm, creative ideas, and managerial skills and we are so excited for her to take on this new role. Welcome Charlotte.

Charlotte Mack Barrett is our new Assistant Director!

UPDATE AFRICA: Schools went back into session in June and all of our MoonCatcher sewing cooperatives have been hard at work making kits and sending them with our teachers to be distributed at schools along with our curriculum.

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Magret Chaguma,form 3.Msimlemba secondary 06 2023.jpg

UPDATE INDIA: Global Menstrual Hygiene Day (May 28, 2023) was a big event. Despite the very real taboo surrounding menstruation, there were street plays, marches, and numerous events designed to bring light to the issue of period poverty.

It has been great to see so many NGOs speaking out and addressing the issue. A recent Supreme Court ruling will require that all government schools in India provide pads to students who need them. We will be watching to see how the implementation of this far-reaching decision plays out.

Our menstrual kits have been very much appreciated in Kashmir and Chattisgarh. Especially in areas where women and girls still use cloth.

Here at home we’ve sent more than 300 kits with travelers to schools in Haiti and elsewhere. Louise Lindmeyer brought MoonCatcher Kits to Haiti and writes: Hi Ellie- I’m in Haiti right now. Our staff thinks the kits are very cool. I showed the training materials to our community outreach nurse who got it right away. She has taught many girls about their cycle and other aspects of sex education. She’ll focus in our local high school.

I met Louise a few weeks ago to bring her kits and go for a mountain hike. We not only saw a bear but a rattlesnake as well. In South Egremont, MA!

Yikes! This is who we met on the trail in South Egremont, MA last month.

I often meet people on the street, at stores or restaurants who are interested in our work. A friend of a friend talks about MCP and suddenly we have a new partner – and I have a new friend. It always amuses me how our connections are made and how our kits end up being delivered around the world.

My sister Gussie and her business partner Jane built us a beautiful Period Pantry that will house disposable menstrual supplies for people in need. We’ve heard that it will be installed in Schenectady’s Central Park near the greenhouses. If anyone has menstrual supplies that you would like to contribute, you can drop them off there once it’s up. Until then you can always bring them to Ellie. Call 518-859-5114 to set this up.

I’ve been getting emails and phone calls from Together Women Rise chapters across the country. Women in Fort Collins, Colorado are cutting Tyvek for us as I write this. I’ll be speaking to a group in Boulder when I’m out there in July. Beautiful kits are being made in Arizona that will end up in Kenya, and kits are being made in Connecticut and Minnesota too. Together Women Rise is an amazing organization and our connection with them is resulting in new partnerships across the country.

MoonBees are being scheduled for the Fall. We’ll have two in October with Avila Independent Retirement Community. Congregation Ohav Shalom and Scotia Rotary are making plans and will be sending times and dates soon.