News
MADI In Cuba
At the end of January, founder, Hayley Besheer traveled to Cuba to make an international drop-off!
Here are some snapshots and details of her trip:
Mageli Hogar Maternito Infantil - This is an overnight clinic where mentally or physically ill expecting mothers may stay for treatment until it is time to head to the hospital to have the baby. Healthcare is free in Cuba, and babies are treated with VERY serious high priority - if a baby dies during during birth, doctors risk having their license taken away.
With director of the Mageli Hogar Maternito Infantil.
An expecting mother Hayley Hayley & Pam met outside of Mageli Hogar Maternito Infantil.
Hayley and Pam's local Havana friends, guides and translators, Ana and Yenisleydis who assisted in our drop-offs throughout Havana.
-Fun facts about them: Ana is 28 and is a local radio broadcaster, Yenisleydis (nickname in English is Jenny) is 25 and a practicing Doctor in Havana.
Mirta- 85 yrs old and Paula - 86 years old. They were very excited about receiving new underwear, as it's difficult to afford. Hayley asked how they knew each other and they said they are "Amigas", sitting on the sidewalk to catch some sun :)
As Hayley & Pam were organizing the underwear to head to their first drop-off, the bathroom attendant of the restaurant we were in asked if they might give her a pair of "bloomers". She was so excited to have a pair of new underwear that she said looked like they would fit perfectly!
City driver Ernesto that told Hayley & Pam that even though healthcare and education are free in Cuba, necessities like underwear are very expensive for women especially on a wage of under $40/month (many government positions not in the tourism industry pay between $20-$40/month). They left undies for his mother and sister-in-law.
The woman in the middle is named Caridad - which means charity in Spanish. Hayley & Pam met her in Havana and they asked if she could use new underwear. She ecstatically said yes and emotionally told us how over the years she became separated from her family and a man stole her property, leaving her homeless.
These last few pictures were in Havana. This drop-off was in Santiago at the African Cultural Center - "Instituto Cubano Amistad Con Los Pueblos".
Here, Hayley was donating 25 pairs of underwear to Dr. Marta Cordies, director of the African Cultural Center.
Join Us In South America!!
After such a successful trip to Haiti where we were able to donate 300 pairs of underwear to women of all ages, we have decided to make another international drop-off in South America!
On #GivingTuesday we started accepting donations to help send us to South America and we we're offering for anyone who donated $100 or more a chance to be entered in a drawing to join us! We raised 25% of our goal on giving Tuesday and we could not thank those donors enough! (And all $100+ giving Tuesday donors will be entered into our raffle TWICE!) Now, we're turning giving Tuesday into a full month of giving! So the rest of you aren't off the hook yet :) We're giving you the entire month of December to help us reach our goal and have the chance to come with us! Donate $100 or more for a chance to travel with our team this spring on our next international drop-off. If you're looking for a charity to donate your end of year charitable contributions to, help us reach our South America drop-off goal of $3,000! Click here to donate!
Here are a few pictures of us donating in Haiti, you don't want to miss the opportunity to help us do this in South America!
Our First International Drop-Off!!
We are thrilled to announce -- that because of charitable contributions from supporters like YOU to our non-profit, MADI Donations -- we are going to be traveling to Haiti in just three short days to donate 300 pairs of underwear and complete our very first international drop-off!!
We will be traveling to Fond Parisien, Haiti. This community and those surrounding it are very remote and poverty-stricken. In these circumstances, women's needs are unfortunately not high priorities, and menstrual supplies are hard to access, including UNDERWEAR. MADI hopes to change this! We are collaborating with Circle of Health International - an amazing organization that reached out to us a few months ago requesting new underwear for women in their safe birth center. Together we will be distributing 300 pairs of MADI underwear to mothers and young girls in these rural communities. Along with new underwear, these women will be receiving menstrual health education, which is frequently not addressed.
Here are some pictures taken in the birth center and around Fond Parisien to show you some of the women and children in the are we are traveling to!
Stay tuned to hear more about our drop-off and this amazing opportunity to help even more women!