Nonprofit in Yakima combats period poverty with handmade kits
YAKIMA, Wash. – A local nonprofit is addressing period poverty worldwide through handmade kits. Known as the Freedom Kits of Yakima, the organization creates washable feminine hygiene kits for those in need both locally and internationally.
Each kit, designed to last three to five years, includes underwear, pads, guards, a washcloth and soap, all packed in a cinch sack.
Opening doors for women and girls is the motto for the group.
“It’s a health benefit, it’s an environmental benefit and definitely economic benefit,” said Stephanie Wilson, president of the nonprofit..
The organization has grown from 20 members in 2022 to 80 today. Wilson shared insights on the challenges girls face in countries with limited access to feminine hygiene products.
“Overseas a lot it is so taboo to even talk about that girls have no idea what’s going on,” Wilson said. “In a lot of countries where they don’t have access, the options for girls are to sit on a pile of sand, set over a hole in the ground, sit on a stack of cardboard, or try to make makeshift things with newspapers.”
To date, the nonprofit has sent tens of thousands of kits worldwide. This year alone, nearly 4,000 kits have been donated across 12 countries at no cost. Wilson emphasized the impact of each kit.
“That individual deserves a chance. And if that girl can’t stay in school, that’s it. They end up in trafficking, they end up in the fields, they end up married at 12, you know, maybe the fourth or fifth wife. So that’s it. There’s no future. There’s nothing to hope for,” Wilson said.
Wilson’s motivation stems from her own experiences in high school.
“I had teachers treating me like I wasn’t as smart because I’m a girl. So, I can remember that” she said. “I think about that. You know, in Africa, Nepal or Guatemala, like how much worse it is there than I had it here.”
Wilson encourages community involvement, noting that making a difference doesn’t require much.
“If you’re going anywhere there’s poverty, get a hold of freedom kits because we will get 60 kits fit in a duffel, this fit that weighs 50 pounds. So that’s a checked bag. And you can change 60 lives in addition to whatever else you’re doing,” she said.
For those interested in joining, the group meets monthly to assemble kits. Wilson welcomes anyone to show up and help in various ways.
