Public Interest Registry, the people behind .ORG, has named Days for Girls International as the .ORG of the Year for its ground-breaking work to improve health, education and livelihood for millions of women and girls around the world.
Last week, Days for Girls was also honored with the 2020 .ORG Impact Award in the Combatting Coronavirus category. For more information, please visit daysforgirls.org.
Days for Girls is being honored as part of the “10 Days of .ORG” online experience that celebrates the range of achievements that have healed, inspired, transformed and connected communities over the past year.
Each day of the 10-day celebration, which concludes today, places a spotlight on award-winning organizations and individuals making our communities a better place.
“We are so incredibly honored to be named the Combating Coronavirus and .ORG of the Year award winners,” said Celeste Mergens, Founder and CEO of Days for Girls International. “This year was filled with unprecedented challenges for the organization, not just because delivering our usual services became more complicated, but because it brought a new challenge—the need for PPE. So thank you to Public Interest Registry and the .ORG Community for recognizing our efforts with these awards. This is the culmination of more than a decade’s work in trying to improve the lives and livelihoods of women and girls around the world.”
“Days for Girls International is a truly inspiring organization, helping make the world a better place,” said Jon Nevett President and CEO of the Public Interest Registry. “Every day, Days for Girls is empowering women and girls to achieve their dreams by providing critical education and health resources to those who need them. On behalf of the entire PIR organization, I want to congratulate Days for Girls. Days for Girls represents the best of what .ORG has to offer. Finally, as the 10 Days of .ORG concludes, let me congratulate all the winners, finalists and .ORGs that submitted entries to this year’s awards. It was an incredibly competitive year, with more than 500 .ORG nominees and I’m so proud of the incredible and amazing work that the .ORG Community is doing every day.”
Since its founding in 2008, Days for Girls International has provided Days for Girls Kits and menstrual health education worldwide. Their efforts were expanded in a critical time during the Coronavirus Pandemic, providing PPE services, resources and education across the globe.
As the seriousness of the crisis emerged, the team created the #Masks4Millions campaign and participated in the Periods Don’t Pause for Pandemics campaign. These brought together thousands of volunteers to assist in slowing the spread of COVID-19 by championing hygiene advocacy and ensuring resources reached the communities in need.
The organization hosted webinars and created informational posters on how to stop the spread of COVID-19 along with best practices for supporting women and girls through the pandemic’s myriad challenges. Many of their leaders went door-to-door in remote villages to hand out educational resources and to talk about the importance of handwashing and mask-wearing.
In addition, Days for Girls supplied small grants to support the DfG Enterprises that were facing unsustainable conditions due to lockdowns. These grants, of up to $250, were used to provide emergency food, supplies to make DfG Kits or masks and transportation to teach handwashing lessons and deliver masks.
To date, Days for Girls has reached more than 1.8 million women and girls in 144 countries on 6 continents with quality, sustainable menstrual care solutions and health education.
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