Days for Girls International Awarded 2020 .ORG Impact Award for its Efforts to Combat Coronavirus

RESTON, Va., Nov. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Public Interest Registry (PIR), the People behind .ORG, today named Days for Girls International the first of the 10 winners of the 2^nd annual .ORG Impact Awards.

The mission-driven organization was honored in the Combating Coronavirus category for its work to improve the health, education and livelihood of millions of women and girls around the world. For more information, please visit daysforgirls.org.

Since its founding in 2008, Days for Girls has provided DfG Kits and menstrual health education worldwide. The organization's efforts expanded at a critical time during the coronavirus pandemic, providing PPE services, resources and education across the globe. Days for Girls International has reached more than 1.8 million women and girls in 144 countries on 6 continents.

As the seriousness of the crisis came to light, the team created the #Masks4Millions campaign and participated in the Periods Don't Pause for Pandemics campaign. These brought together thousands of volunteers to assist in stopping the spread of COVID-19 by championing hygiene advocacy and ensuring resources reached communities in need.

Days for Girls hosted webinars and created informational posters on how to stop the spread of COVID-19 along with best practices for supporting women and girls through the pandemic's myriad challenges. Many of their leaders went door-to-door in remote villages to hand out educational resources and to talk about the importance of handwashing and mask-wearing.

In addition, the organization supplied small grants to support the DfG Enterprises that were facing unsustainable conditions due to lockdowns. These grants, of up to $250 USD, were used to provide emergency food, supplies to make DfG Kits or masks and transportation to teach handwashing lessons and deliver masks.

Days for Girls International will receive a $15,000 USD donation to the charitable entity of their choice and will be honored as part of the "10 Days of .ORG" online experience that celebrates the achievements that have healed, inspired, transformed and connected communities over the past year. Each day of the 10-day celebration will place a spotlight on award-winning organizations and individuals making our communities a better place.

"The efforts in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic were more impactful than we could have ever imagined," said Celeste Mergens, Founder and CEO of Days for Girls International. "Within one month, nearly 4,000 volunteers sprang into action to aid numerous vulnerable populations, including the Navajo Nation, a Navy ship and migrant families along the U.S.-Mexican border. This year turned our traditional operations upside down, but our team and supporters did not hesitate to continue turning periods into pathways, assisting with shattering stigma and limitations and fighting for a world with dignity, health and opportunity for all."

"The work that Days for Girls International has done and continues to do is vital for creating an equitable and progressive future for women and girls. This year's additional pandemic assistance demonstrates how critical their work is," said Jon Nevett, President and CEO of Public Interest Registry. "Congratulations to Days for Girls International for being named the 2020 .ORG Impact Award winner in the category of Combating Coronavirus."

This year, PIR saw an extremely impressive group of submissions showcasing the diverse and inspiring work taking place in the .ORG Community. Thank you to everyone who participated in the .ORG Impact Awards.

More than 500 organizations and individuals submitted entries this year. Submissions were reviewed and scored by a panel of judges who are leaders in the Internet, non-profit and marketing sectors. All nominations were required to be tied to an active website with a .ORG domain.

Award winners will receive a donation of up to $30,000 USD to an eligible charitable entity of their choice. Please visit www.orgimpactawards.org for complete rules and information.

10 Days of .ORG Schedule:

About Days for Girls International:

Days for Girls International is an award-winning NGO that works to shatter stigma and limitations associated with menstruation for improved health, education and livelihoods. Through our Education & Access to Menstrual Products Strategy, Days for Girls provides holistic menstrual health education curriculum and increases women and girls' access to menstrual products. Through our Policy & Advocacy Strategy, Days for Girls educates and builds connections with national and international policymakers, coalitions and organizations who can advance, accelerate and amplify the importance of menstrual health in improving education and livelihood outcomes for women and girls. To date, Days for Girls has reached more than 1.7 million women and girls in 144 countries on 6 continents with quality, sustainable menstrual care solutions and health education. For more information, please visit http://www.daysforgirls.org/.

About .ORG:
.ORG is the original purpose-driven "generic" top-level domain (gTLD) with more than 10 million domain names registered worldwide. .ORG is open to everyone, providing a global platform for organizations, associations, clubs, businesses and individuals to bring their ideas to life. For more than 30 years, .ORG has built an enduring legacy of trust, preserving an open and secure Internet where diverse communities can establish a trusted online identity and freely share ideas. .ORG is powered by the non-profit Public Interest Registry (PIR). PIR has been a champion for a free and open Internet for more than 15 years with a clear mission to be an exemplary domain name registry, provide a trusted digital identity and help educate those who dedicate themselves to improving our world. PIR was founded by the Internet Society (internetsociety.org) in 2002 and is based in Reston, Virginia, USA. Visit www.TheNew.org for more information.

Contact: Scott Gerber, [email protected]

SOURCE Public Interest Registry

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