The Power of Days

Description

An inspiring personal story of resilience, hope, and proof that we can all make a difference, from the founder of the award-winning global organization Days for Girls.

Imagine missing school or work every month because you lacked proper menstrual supplies. How many days per year would you lose in education and wages simply because you got your period? What if no one ever taught you about menstruation, or worse—if menstrual taboos and myths made you feel ashamed of your body?

In 2008, Celeste Mergens was working with an overcrowded orphanage on the outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya, when she learned that menstruating girls sat on cardboard in their rooms for several days each month.

This set into motion a simple idea—combining a washable, long-lasting pad with taboo-breaking education—that became a catalyst for an unlikely global movement for equity.

Written in short, evocative chapters, The Power of Days tells the story of Mergens’s quest to rally a global response to elevate menstrual health, increase universal access to menstrual supplies, shatter stigma through education, and advocate for global policy change. Raised in poverty by a mentally ill parent, Mergens learned early on that building the life she wanted would take equal parts determination and humility, traits that led her to create the kinds of inclusive conversations and solutions she is known for around the globe.

The challenges Mergens faced and the lessons she learned, personally and professionally, and the triumphs and resourcefulness of leaders all over the globe are illuminating to all who wish to make a difference and create a more equitable world.

Today, Days for Girls reaches more than 3 million women and girls in 145 countries. The organization’s impact continues to grow, proving that small changes can create big shifts. This journey to overcome one of the world’s most prevalent taboos is proof that no divide is impossible to bridge.

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About the Author

Celeste  Mergens

Celeste Mergens is the founder of the global, award-winning nonprofit, Days for Girls International. Since 2008, Days for Girls has restored days of education and opportunity to more than 3 million women and girls in 144 countries by providing a perhaps surprising key to increased equity in communities—access to sustainable menstrual care products and vital conversations and education. Days for Girls is a two-time Girl Effect Champion, won the SEED Award for Gender Equity and Entrepreneurship, and was named by the Huffington Post as a ‘Next Ten’ Organization poised to change the world in the next decade. Celeste has been featured in Oprah’s O, The Oprah Magazine, Forbes, and Stanford Social Impact Review. She was awarded the AARP Purpose Prize and named Washington State’s Mother of the Year, Company Global Impact Entrepreneur Top Ten Women, 2019 Global Washington Global Hero, and Women Economic Forum’s Woman of the Decade. She typically gives over fifty keynotes a year, speaking for groups that have included Apple, Goldman Sachs, Nike, Intel, Columbia Apparel, and the United Nations, and consistently garners standing ovations.

Connect with Celeste

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