I am grateful that The Kwek Society’s donation has allowed us to better meet the needs of our students.

We provided some education about [our new period] stations to our younger students.  As a result, I now have a large group of 5th grade girls who are my biggest helpers! They take turns keeping the stations stocked with supplies. They are engaged and take ownership of these stations and never hesitate to ask questions.

I just received the pads and liners today. The women came flocking as soon as they saw me carrying in boxes. They were so happy.

The Kwek Society is a great program that supports traditional values and the importance of instilling cultural values and traditions in our future generations.

We now have these beautiful moon bags that I can give to students, and they love them. It makes them feel supported, empowered and part of a community of women who are celebrating who they are; the moon time bags make them feel proud about their bodies and their voices. 

I’m so pleased to say that the excellent puberty resources that The Kwek Society also provided allowed me to revamp our puberty education here. We moved our puberty education to early in the fall for fifth grade, using the resources provided.  Now puberty education feels really positive for students and is really a lot of fun for them.

We live over 75 miles to the nearest town and having the products at school are so beneficial and easy for the students to access. During the pandemic we deliver the supplies when we deliver daily meals. The girls are so thankful and appreciative. The Kwek Society’s generous spirit is a real gift to our children! Thank you!

I was one of those young women who couldn’t afford period supplies. A couple of times a year my mother, teenage daughters, and I spend a weekend sewing moon time bags. I can’t erase the shame of being poor or feeling unclean from wearing stained undergarments. But I can make sure my daughters can support other young women who aren’t as fortunate to live in a city with two working parents. I can help other mothers, aunties, and grandmothers who struggle to feed their families, for whom period supplies for their teens are a luxury.

I can’t express our gratitude enough for the Kwek Society! They have gone above and beyond to help our young female Native American students to have the supplies they need; helping these young ladies to focus more on their education with less worry about whether or not they are going to have the supplies needed to handle their menstrual cycle.

A little anecdote about Kwek and our school, Wyoming Indian Schools. Our Red Willow Club co-hosted a Sweetheart Round Dance with one of our community partners last month. We had a few community members in our building that had never been in our school before.

A young woman approached me after the dance with questions about all the supplies in the bathroom and so I told her about how The Kwek Society provides period supplies and products as well as literature and moon time bags.

This young woman cried. She said that she was so happy that our young women have access to period products because when she was going to school her family struggled to put food on the table and sometimes that meant she did not have the supplies she needed. She said there was so much shame and embarrassment about not having what she now knows are basic necessities. She did not go to school because the school nurse would get angry and upset with her for asking for supplies.

This young beautiful Arapaho woman was filled with such happiness that other young women do not have to suffer as she did.

Hohou, Hooweehoo, Pilamaya, Thank You for being the partner so many of our young women need at a critical time in their lives.