The Koha Project

05/05/2026

Happy International Day of the Midwife!

Please join us in sending so much love to our favorites, Katie Augustin and Ms. Shedlene, our incredible partners on the ground in Haiti.

If you’d like to show them some extra support today, please consider purchasing a teeshirt from their fundraising drive! All proceeds go directly to their “Room for Hope” facility. This space is so special, it’s where our packing and manufacturing is being continued locally and where their life changing teen mom program is launching.

https://www.bonfire.com/mhi-day-of-the-midwife26/?fbclid=PARlRTSARm9pNleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA8xMjQwMjQ1NzQyODc0MTQAAae_Ac2XtnCZuLG01uSYt4x-tmXqCNRkCgksTdz16OHmMvA9j8PoRBvmwJ7lGA_aem_REBFVD_G75-vxC7vA_-uGA

04/10/2026

It’s been 1 year since we responded to an emergency crisis in the region of Haiti we serve. It was such a scrambled time for our organization that we never had the opportunity to fully share what was happening and what was achieved.

At the time, gang violence in a nearby town forced many families into informal refugee camps in the Central Plateau. They had to flee their homes with nothing but what they could carry on their backs. While we were proud to get 195 kits into their hands, that season really highlighted how difficult it is to respond when our pad supply is limited.

We are grateful to have grown in volunteers since this crisis but we wish to work towards a 3 month stock of pads at all times so we can fulfill emergency needs the moment they arise. (We’re currently a 4 week stock, 210 pads in hand).

So, please keep sewing and tell your friends! Message us to get involved.

03/20/2026

Big news!

In collaboration with our partner, Maternal Healthcare International (MHI), we’re so incredibly excited to share that we’ve reached a new point in our journey.

As of this month, we are shipping all of our onhand kit supplies directly to MHIs brand new “Room for Hope” facility. This means, we will no longer be packing kits in the USA. Why? We are employing local Haitians to pack these kits on the ground 🙌

Going forward, we’ll be sending pads only, creating more space for our Haitian partners to fill the gaps. Our directors home in Idaho will continue to act as the “hub” for this remaining item. We’re also streamlining our kits to six 10” starfish heavy pads (instead of eight) and continuing with one 14” pad. We’ve learned that with the fast drying Haitian sun, this is the sweet spot for what the women actually need and use. Our total sewing goal is 210 pads a month.

What does this mean our sewing volunteers? Well, not much! We still, urgently, need your help sewing pads. While the packing and small component work is moving to Haiti, the heart of the project, our pads, are staying with us until February 2027. We need you to keep our new Haitian packing team busy! And to give our partners the gift of time to train and develop the local sewing team that will eventually step in.

What about monthly donors? We will also continue to rely heavily on our monthly donors. Your support allows us to fund these local jobs, keep the supply chain moving, cover shipping, and begin to send necessary equipment to Haiti.

From day one, our project was designed to be temporary. We’ve always believed in sustainable humanitarian aid, which is enabling this work to thrive without us! We are overjoyed to be creating opportunities right now that make a direct impact on the livelihoods of our friends in Haiti.

To help us get these supplies to Haiti please visit https://givebutter.com/acQN3Z to make a onetime or monthly donation. We couldn’t take this leap without your support! Thank you.

By The Koha Project - Pads for Haiti

02/24/2026

This month marks one full year of our kits landing in Haiti!

Together we have sent 3,288 pads,
980 pairs of underwear and hundreds of other supplies to mothers and girls in need. Thank you to everyone who made this possible.

As a new non profit, the first year was hard. We struggled to find volunteers, there were many months we were unsure how to keep going. But women without basic supplies face something far harder - that perspective is what kept us going.

In just the past month, we’ve welcomed more volunteers than all of 2025 combined. This momentum is encouraging and we are so thankful for it!

Our 2026 monthly donor goal is $600. We are currently at $185.

The lower goal (compared to $800/mo last year) was made possible by generous Thanksgiving donors who funded multiple bolts of Zorb.

Monthly donations covers shipping, underwear, small kit components, and helps us build reserves for future Zorb purchases. There are no paid board members and no overhead expenses here. This is direct impact funding.

If you are already part of our monthly donor support, thank you. If you are able to join or share our mission, please help us reach our goal here:

https://givebutter.com/acQN3Z

01/21/2026

Idaho Falls locals:

We’ve seen some new, wonderful and different groups pop up locally sewing reusable pads and we LOVE seeing this kind of community effort. It’s also caused a little bit of confusion in our small town, so I wanted to clarify..

The Koha Project is independently run and registered and has been in operation since November 2024. We coordinate our own volunteer sewing, supplies and distribution through our established partner connections in Haiti.

We’re really passionate about sustainable aid and have clear long term goals - we will not be sewing for Haiti forever. We’re actively working toward fully handing this work over locally and we anticipate continuing our sewing support for roughly the next 12 months. During this time, we are still in great need of volunteers, donor funding and fabric donations.

We’re cheering on every group doing this work but If you’re ever unsure which organization you’re reaching out to, please message us.

01/18/2026

Here’s what’s inside The Koha Project kits:

8x 10” reusable pads (heavy flow)
1x 14” reusable pad (heavy flow, overnight)
2 pairs of underwear
Mending kit
Instruction card
Drying strap
PUL pouch
Drawstring bag

Every organizations kit looks a little different, ours are intentionally designed to support postpartum moms with comfort and coverage.

Want to help pack or sew a kit, donate supplies, or support shipping? Send us a message.

12/15/2025

As we head into Christmas, we’re reflecting on what was accomplished this year. 2,748 pads, 920 pairs of underwear and hundreds of other supplies shipped to Haiti.

This work was supported by a global community, with donors as far as New Zealand and volunteers across the USA and Canada.

In the year ahead, we will continue the same level of support while our partner clinic, Maternal Health Care International, works toward completing their “Room for Hope” facility. From there, Haitian women will be trained to sew these pads themselves. This is what sustainable humanitarian aid looks like. Aid that develops skills, keeps work local and reduces long term dependence. It should strengthen communities to lead their own solutions, not rely on our (wonderful) shipments forever.

We know how much of this work happens quietly, in late nights and spare moments. We are deeply grateful for every person who made this possible.

If adding more service is part of your New Year intentions, we’d love to welcome you into our sewing family.

Merry Christmas,
Jay and our Board at The Koha Project

09/26/2025

Maternal Health Care International, our partner organization in Haiti, shared a video today on Instagram highlighting the education they provide to moms who receive our postpartum kits.

This knowledge is just as important as the items inside the kits. For many mothers, it may be the first time they’re learning how to care for their bodies after birth, how to prevent infection and how to safely use the supplies we send. ❤️

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DPEQEIsjsk1/?igsh=MXBkMWE4MTZnNHVidw==

09/20/2025

During a postpartum visit in Hinche, Haiti, a partner midwife captured this raw moment of pads sewn by one of our volunteers. This photo is proof that the pads we’re working so hard to make are serving the purpose they were intended for ❤️

If your heart tugs at this project too, there are so many ways to help continue this work. We need $800 monthly to fully fund this project and currently at $150. Please consider being a monthly donor. https://givebutter.com/acQN3Z

And if you can’t, please check your fabric, donating fabric, or lending some hands. Every bit keeps this moving forward!

09/13/2025

September Update!

Since February, we’ve sent a total of 2,208 pads to Haiti - a milestone made possible by our dedicated volunteers. Our next batch of 30 kits (270 pads + other essentials) departs next week.

Our biggest need right now is simple but urgent... more hands sewing pads and more monthly donors to help sustain shipping and material costs. We’re currently at $150/month, with a goal of $800/month to fully cover ongoing needs. Our financial needs have grown as underwear costs have risen sharply. Each new supporter helps us close the gap and move closer to our goal.

If you’ve been thinking about joining in, now is the time. Pads are the heart of our kits and your involvement whether through sewing, giving, or sharing this project with others makes a real impact.

Donate: https://givebutter.com/Qg655D
Sew: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1CHWgJmFha/