By Marie Sheneman, Operations Coordinator Volunteer

I recently spoke with Mali Rising volunteer Margie to learn about her work with Mali Rising. Volunteers like Margie (and me) make a small organization like Mali Rising able to achieve much more than you would think with our small staff and budget.

Margie has been volunteering at Mali Rising for a couple of years, sewing waterproof shields (like a sanitary pad with wings) that hold cloth liners. The shields and washable liners provide the girls with a reusable sanitary pad to use for menstruation. When sewing the shields, Margie also tries to match fabrics so the shields are attractive as well as useful.

Why did Margie decide to volunteer for Mali Rising? Margie thinks that it is important that “we look at the world as a whole and not just our own communities and we should do what we can in our communities and outside of them.” With respect to Mali Rising, Margie was very interested in the purpose of the organization. She strongly believes that in is important for people to receive an education. She thinks that the more education people have, the more thoughtful they will be about things.

By sewing the shields, she helps make it physically and emotionally easier for girls to attend school while menstruating. She is happy that she can contribute and make a difference by using her skills. While financial donations are valuable in supporting the mission of Mali Rising (e.g. to buy school books, to hold teacher trainings), Margie’s story demonstrates that there are alternative ways to support the educational opportunities for the girls of Mali. Volunteering for Mali Rising is a rewarding experience for Margie. She is happy to make something with her own hands that will be used by someone who is very much in need of the product.

Interested in volunteering like Margie? Check out our volunteer postings, including a call for more volunteers to work on menstrual kits.