The Kwek Society

The Kwek Society is amazing- a small but mighty organization that provides period supplies to Native girls so they don’t have to miss out on school and activities. The Kwek Society carries out this work with passion and integrity- I’m honored to be a supporter!

The Kwek Society does a great job of supplying Indigenous students, their peers, and Indigenous community members with the period products they need. It is an honor to support the work that they're doing in eliminating period poverty among Indigenous communities.

Love that this organization supports young Native America. Women!

When I first came across The Kwek Society, I felt so touched by their mission and the work they do to end period poverty. As someone who has worked in the education field for years, it felt especially near and dear to my heart to contribute to a foundation that aims to support young people and their education. The work they do is incredibly personal and profoundly meaningful!

The Kwek Society is such an incredibly hardworking and heartwarming non-profit. Seeing them distribute so many period products and other educational materials to communities throughout the country has been unreal. So many people have been, and are continuously being, uplifted and empowered by this organization. I am grateful for their work and hope to continue watching them grow.

This is a non-profit with a huge heart! So many Native American students can't afford period supplies, and that's where The Kwek Society comes in - they put together moon bags, period supplies, and also have a website for students to learn about different tribes' moontime traditions. This both helps students who couldn't otherwise afford supplies, but also connects them with their culture! I cannot say enough good things about The Kwek Society.

The Kwek Society has moved mountains in helping raise awareness about period poverty and providing indigenous students and their peers with much needed period supplies. Through their help, a generation of young people are seeing very important change in the stigmas that often come with conversations about menstruation.

The Kwek Society is an amazing organization, that has increased its partnership to 210+ indigenous schools since 2018, while keeping its overhead costs low. This organization has great leadership and continues to positively impact its partner communities in terms of providing period education materials, celebrating indigenous teachings that center girls who are menstruators and, of course, providing significant quantities of period supplies of a type that are valued by the young girls. I've been a Board member of many non-profit and this one is especially impressive!

KWEK has supplied young nishnaabekwewak in our school with supplies for a few years and we are so grateful. Packages to take care of moontime in one month and as needed are created with their support and kindness for those in need. We live on Nishinaabek Territory in what some call Ontario so to have the KWEK society take care of us cousins, sisters, aunties and nieces way over here truly is the traditional way of womenhood and nishinaabe ways to raise each other up. Our women feel very cared for. Miigwech

The Kwek Society is a partner in education and we could not be more grateful for their contributions. We serve a large population of Native American students and The Kwek Society answered the call immediately when we reached out for help and created a partnership. They provide literature, moontime bags, feminine products and sports bras for our young ladies. It takes one less worry off of them. We appreciate The Kwek Society's support and immediate response when we reach out for restocking.

Siren School is a small K4-12 district in rural wisconsin. We serve a population that is 80% economically disadvantaged and 35% American Indian. The support we have received from the KWEK Society has been amazing. The student's attendance has improved as a result of having hygiene products available at no charge to them. I have also witnessed a de-stigmatization of menstruation and all of the related necessities. Our menstruating students have felt empowered to recognize that this is a normal, healthy and even sacred part of their lives. Chi-miigwech from Siren Schools!

I'm a teacher in a rural school and most of my students are at or below the poverty line. I tried my best to keep extra boxes of feminine supplies on hand for them because I always had girls coming and asking for help with supplies. On a teacher's salary, this was extremely difficult. There were many times when I just couldn't provide extra supplies because I couldn't afford it. When I heard about The Kwek Society, it blew my mind. We immediately reached out, and they jumped in to help. They have provided all 400 plus of our female students with supplies for the past three years, and even more importantly, they are normalizing periods for our students. I don't hear "that's gross" or "ew" anymore. The girls are very open about things with each other, and every student--male and female--knows that the period pantry is in my classroom and freely available to anyone in need. Thank you so much for changing our school atmosphere and for helping my students in need!!

The Kwek Society has been a blessing to the Pyramid Lake Jr./Sr. High School. Our school is located on the Pyramid Lake Paiute Reservation in Nevada. The Kwek Society is fantastic at the speedy delivery of products and supplies and the reminders are more than helpful. The supplies we are given are of great quality and quantity. If I need anything in between reorder times, The Kwek Society is always more than happy to help! Pesa u (Thank you)

Amazing group that has donated some much needed products for our Native students here at our Middle school! From feminine hygiene supplies to sports bras... they have been a major help in closing the gap for our families in need! Thank you!

Kwek plows every dollar into its school & community-based programs to end period poverty. It leverages the enthusiasm of its donor community with the high ethics & transparency of its board of directors to deliver period products & puberty education to indigenous youth across the U.S. & Canada.

I teach at a high school in central Oklahoma. We are in a very low income county. The Kwek Society has been helping us for many years with feminine hygiene products and has recently helped us with sports bras for all of our girls! We couldn’t be more appreciative! Thank you so much to ALL the donors!

I am a school social worker in an isolated rural community in Southeast Alaska. My students struggle with access to high quality period products and healthy messaging around puberty and identity. The support that my students received from the Kwek Society was like a miracle. This nonprofit understands issues impacting native American and Alaska Native girls and teens and has created a highly impactful program to powerfully address those needs. Within a week, the Kwek society provided my students with a diverse array of high quality period products, beautiful moon bags, new underwear and sports bras, and excellent kid-friendly puberty literature. The Kwek Society shared high quality puberty education information with me that transformed my puberty education efforts with my entire school.

After we began working with the Kwek Society, students now regularly stop by my office for period products, to read my puberty books, and to talk (and sometimes laugh) about their puberty experiences. The supplies provided by the Kwek society positively impacted our school culture, the quality of social work and health education students receive, student access to the supplies they need when they are having their periods, and student comfort with talking about their growth and development.

The Todd County School District is located where the tatanka (buffalo) roam, on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Central South Dakota. The young ladies are very appreciative for the generous donations of feminine hygiene products and underwear. Like most fixed income families, the families of these young ladies must choose to pay their everyday living expenses and "extras," such as paying for transportation, or buying feminine hygiene products. Many of the young ladies miss school due to not having access to pads and tampons during their Moon time. The generous donations of feminine hygiene products truly help these young ladies live a better life. The Kwek Society are angels on Earth!

CCSD truly can’t thank the KWEK Society enough for their generous hygiene products, masks, moon bags and educational books for our students. The KWEK Society has allowed us to provide resources to the girls in our community who need them. The KWEK Society truly has made a difference for our district, and we’re incredibly grateful!

I am familiar with the Kwek Society through the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, as me, my mother, my sisters, and my daughters are all tribal members, and the founder, Eva Carney, is our tribal district representative. Period poverty is an unfortunate circumstance that I have experienced in my life, and I strive to ensure that my children are aware that their peers may be in need of simple, essential things, like pads and tampons, that they may not have access to in their day to day life. I shared the mission of the Kwek Society with my oldest daughter, and she took it upon herself to start the Period Project at her junior high school. She is sponsored through her local chapter of the National Junior Honor Society to stock feminine hygiene products in the bathrooms, and weekend kits that are available through the counselors and nursing staff of the school. She has great pride in her efforts and feels that she is making a difference in her community. The Kwek Society is doing essential work in communities across Native lands to provide girls with essential hygiene items. The Kwek Society is inspiring younger generations to step up and help their peers; to support their communities.

I found this organization while seeking to change my Amazon Smile charity to one that serves Native American women somehow, and the reason behind that is the great burden on my heart and soul over the countless missing and murdered indigenous women and relatives. While researching the subject, I needed and wanted to do something, but I'm not in a position to be on the ground in active searches or in a financial position to donate sufficient funds to make an impact for suffering families.

When I found The Kwek Society, visited their website, and read about the work they're doing, I knew that was the kind of thing I wanted to be involved in. They present a tangible way for me to help and honor members of Native communities in a manner that I fully support and can sustain. I loved reading about the preparations, rituals, and traditions that are involved with moontimes, celebrating that aspect of a woman's life without shame or disgust. My great hope is that this support measure is but a stepping stone to aid in the success and prosperity of Native communities.

Of course, finding the pattern for the moontime bags really sealed the deal! Sewing brings me so much joy, and being able to direct my passion to help someone else is icing on the cake.

After learning about this wonderful organization from a friend whose son was involved in a Baha’i-inspired Junior Youth Spiritual Empowerment Program group in which the youth decided to assist The Kwek Society through service, I looked at the website and was astounded to learn about the extent of period poverty among Indigenous women and girls. The organization is professional, respectful, organized, responsive, gracious, and grateful for help.

The Kwek Society was introduced to us through a community member to help us with mutual aid efforts with Pueblo Action Alliance and with the Native American Community Academy, an Indigenous Charter school which are both based in Albuquerque, NM. The menstrual products sent helped unsheltered relatives and tribal community members both living in and outside of their communities. The Kwek Society's dedication and great communication have been extremely appreciated.

The Kwek Society is very unique in its own way that address a crisis that has been happening in our Nations/Country for a long time. This wonderful non-profit has provided support and help to students all over the country as well as educational materials, and now the wonderful moon time bags that continue to support students/communities today. The positive impact of the Kwek Society is felt far and wide and continues to be a driving force to end period poverty and education. Miigwetch for all that you do!!

As a Board member, it has been an honor and a privilege to join in the fight to end period poverty among Native Americans in North America. I hope you will visit our website to learn more about our mission and see all that we have accomplished in just 2 years. Our work has been made possible by the support of dedicated volunteers and generous donors (hopefully to soon include you!) . With their help, we have provided period supplies, underwear, and puberty education books to our partners. Also, in response to the pandemic, volunteers have sewn hundereds of colorful masks that we have offered to the communities who need them. Along my journey with The Kwek Society I have been inspired by everyone I have met, and, if you join us in this fight, you will be too!

The Kwek Society gets straight to the heart of issues that support the needs of communities with a focus on Native American women. More education is needed about period poverty and the challenges faced by many — even in your own community. The issues include access to supplies, affordability, and education. These challenges have downstream impacts such as missing school days and lead to larger educational inequities. I am glad to be a board member to help make a difference. Kathy Webb

As a tribal education director and The Kwek Society board member, I have seen the impact of the organization from a governance and community standpoint. What a gift to provide dignity to young Indigenous women while educating the larger public about this issue. I appreciate that the The Kwek Society actively pursues new school partners and maintains responsiveness and timely deliveries. I always feel confident referring a school to The Kwek Society because I know that they will be well-taken-care-of!

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

The Kwek Society has been a game changer for many of our students. Because of the Kwek Society’s donation of feminine hygiene products and moon time bags, our students no longer have to worry about not having the supplies they need during their menstrual cycle. Sometimes the lack of enough hygiene supplies kept students from attending school regularly. We are grateful that the Kwek Society has given the young women in our district the confidence and security they need to be successful at school.

The Kwek Society has been a wonderful partner for our school. The period products they provide to our young Navajo students are so needed by the girls. 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!

At a time when our country was in turmoil with a pandemic, and paper goods, cleaning supplies were scarce, Kwek Society came though with supplies for our girls. It was a relief for our girls to not have to worry about where they could get their personal supplies, when trips to a store were minimal and distant, as there are no retailers on the reservation. But what they loved the most were the hand sewn Moon Bags that they could discretely carry their personals with them. They were in their beach bags this summer, and will be in their back packs for school. We are forever grateful to The Kwek Society.

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. The Kwek Society has not only supplied our Native American girls with pads, tampons, and educational materials they have also provided moon time bags to make transporting these much needed supplies more discreet.
The Kwek Society has not only helped our young female Native American students to gracefully transition into this new time in their lives, they are helping their families to provide these much needed expensive supplies, at school. Our students know they are taken care of, thanks to the Kwek Society, and that in itself is priceless.

Wyoming Indian Schools is located on the Wind River Indian Reservation in central Wyoming. We are the largest preK-12th grade school on the reservation. Partnering in June 2019 with Kwek has helped young women have access to personal health care products in the school as well as providing enough products for them to take home. During the reservation shelter in place order beginning in March of 2020, Kwek has provided not only personal care products, but also masks for not only our students but for our community during our organized grab and go food distribution program. Kwek is doing an outstanding job of ending period poverty in Indigenous communities and we are proud to partner with them!
Hohou, Hooweehoo, Pila Maya, Thank you!