#PeriodProject

When I moved to Los Angeles I met my mentor Charlotte Lubert, the CEO of WithoutX Films, and got to know her personally which has been such an honor and privilege. In 2017 she invited me to India for a documentary project where her company was teaming up with FFLV (Food for Life Vrindavan, FFLV.org) to help the group receive sponsorship for Vrindavan schools. FFLV, “educates poor girls in Vrindavan, empowering them to transform their lives and communities, through a service-oriented approach, committed to integrity and excellence.”

We featured Marie Avgeropoulos, a Canadian-Greek actress best known for her role as Octavia Blake on the CW’s popular series The 100, for a six-episode video series called #SheMustCount. Marie’s contribution was amazing as she also helped me make period kits and raise money on our Go-Fund-Me page. The series #SheMustCount shed light on so many issues these Vrindavan girls are living with including arranged marriages (often underage), poverty, completing their education and dealing with malnutrition. 

As I realized girls in Vrindavan didn’t have a voice, I fell in love with them and the difference we were making for them. We are literally saving girls from being married off at 14 years old, helping them stay in school, and getting them sponsored so they can learn to earn their own living and make their own choices. We’re getting them healthy.

It wasn’t until February 2019, I learned of these girls’ issues with menstruation through watching the documentary called Period. End of Sentence, by Rayka Zehtabchi. I vowed to return, unable to sleep because I never even considered what they did about their periods! Could. Not. Sleep. One thing is for sure, I will not stand for this injustice of poverty and ignorance. In Vrindavan (and many other places in the world today, such as Nepal, Guatemala, Africa, and more) there is superstition running rampant that girls bleed because they’re bad and possessed by evil spirits. They should not be allowed in places of worship, being told their prayers will not be heard and often times cast away to bleed in huts like they are dogs being punished for making a mess in the house. During menstruation they look for anything they can use to block their menstrual flow which has created a world of hygienic problems for them, not to mention social and psychological problems. 

This obsession led me to find Days for Girls, an organization that prepares and distributes sustainable menstrual health solutions to girls who would otherwise miss school during their monthly periods. In Vrindavan one in four girls drops out of school when they reach puberty. Learning this broke my heart. It’s hard enough to go through puberty without the superstitions and stigma that could have a girl hating herself.

Since I already had ties to FFLV I figured I would connect Days for Girls with them to bring their education and menstrual care-packages to Vrindavan. Little did I know this was just the beginning of me becoming certified as an ambassador for Days for Girls and making my second trip to Vrindavan in less than one month. I only had three weeks to produce over a 100 “Supreme Days-for-Girls-Kits” along with a curriculum to teach these young Indian women how to use their washable care-products. 

I immediately began networking and through reaching out to everyone I could, we got 80 volunteers to assemble 750 kits! That’s 750 girls’ lives that were about to change forever. The #PeriodProject was officially born and I still stand dumbfounded and inspired by our joint efforts. I sat down to watch the documentary and 5 weeks later was in India! I’ve never been more proud. We flew to India, along with 10 huge, duffle bags filled to the brim with menstruation kits, to drive the #PeriodProject home. We will be returning in fall of 2020 to continue our mission to bring these young girls the freedom to be proud, clean and to continue their educations for the fulfillment of their own dreams. 

At Volunteer Together, we believe that the things that excite us are not random. They are connected to our purpose, so we need to follow them.