By Ayesha Hana Shaji
Texas Metro News Team
Celebrating Women’s History Month, Network of Women NOW collaborated with Dallas Black Bloggers to build a campaign to end period poverty by providing much-needed personal items for use during a woman’s menstrual cycle.
Deidra Mwalimu, CEO and founder of Network of Women NOW said the campaign promotes folks to donate menstrual products to the local nonprofit, Self Reflection Girls and Women, Inc., a center focusing on mentoring and counseling survivors of sexual abuse.
Individuals can donate through their Amazon storefront or drop supplies off at participating sites including Union Coffee Dallas, GRIT Fitness, BLACKLIT, Pan-African Connection Bookstore and Resource Center and Tre Stelle Coffee Co. A full list with addresses and links is on NOW’s website: www.networkofwomennow.org.
Mwalimu said her mission is to assist projects that support women and young girls with basic human needs in a vulnerable state.
Her organization has three main initiatives:
- To combat period poverty
- Sustainability to combat poverty
- Networking with organizations around the globe
One of their projects is Ubibi, which means grandmotherhood in Kiswahili. NOW offers Ubibi bags which is a drawstring bag containing a supply of reusable and disposable menstrual pads, underwear, soap, deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste and more.
“[Ubibi] is the secrets that we pass down to our daughters as a rite of passage,” Mwalimu said. “So what we’re doing in this campaign just magnifies who we are as women and why we should support each other.”
Ayesha Hana Shaji is a 2022 graduate of the University of Texas at Arlington, where she was on The Shorthorn staff.
