“Our Days for Girls (D4G) conference really began one year ago when my daughter-in-law and I started a team in Pella, IA making kits for girls in a third world country. ” Kay tells how the hope of a better tomorrow for girls everywhere pushed her to come to Pignon, Haiti. Alongside Joy, the two women share their experiences interacting with the girls and women of the community and reclaiming days for girls.
The day of the conference really began the night before! We made cupcakes, gift bags, and sorted girls’ and women’s underwear! The next morning we were up early with the rooster decorating for our special day.
The girls, theirs moms, and even their grandmothers started trickling in very slowly. We were worried because it had rained, they might not come. But they did come. We had 150 happy women.
The purpose of the conference was to educate the girls on hygiene, sanitation, and how babies are made. We also taught them about self-defense and sex-trafficking.
We had certain women participate in teaching different portions of the conference. We had the privilege of having the Haitian nurse from the First 1,000 Days program assist us in teaching the girls.
We were very pleased with how engaged the girls were. They not only left the conference with a D4G kit, they left with an education about how their bodies work, how to keep them clean, and how God created them to be unique.
Liz was able to tie in the idea of staying pure until you’re married and once you’re married, staying faithful to your husband. She taught them the importance of having Jesus Christ in their heart because He is the only way to find true unconditional love.
We finished the day by distributing to each of the girls, moms, and grandmothers a special handmade hygiene kit to take home.
It was a wonderful conference!
Kay Call and Joy VanBeek
Painting the ladies nails before the conference began Explaining how to use the pads Joy and Micah teaching basic self-defense
