reusable menstrual pads??
World Dance for Humanity was looking at different ways to offer the women we work with a way to deal with their periods. Most of them are currently using old fabrics/rags that are extremely ineffective. We had our women try two different options, one being the reusable flannel menstrual pad by Days for Girls and the other being a disposable pad made by (Sustainable Health Enterprises) that is produced with banana leaves. Our women concluded the reusable ones are best fit for their lifestyles. They proved to be more absorbant and more successful at staying in place because they feature a button on the wings. The wings can then fold over the underwear and be snapped in place so they won't move. When we showed this feature to our women they screamed, they had never seen something that was so simply effective.
"Days for Girls" has created an invention, reusable flannel menstrual pads. They now allow different groups/organizations/individuals to make them all over the world as long as they follow their original template for the pads. These reusable menstrual pads have reached over 1 million girls in 110 countries.
How it works,
The design Days for Girls created is a pad made of flannel on the top and bottom with a plastic liner on the inside. The plastic liner allows for no leaking. On the top of the menstrual pad, there is holder parts that allows for you to put more pieces of the flannel in the pad according to your needs. And a button latch that goes around your underwear to keep the pad in place. It may be simple, but the best things are.
Another issue these pads address is the social taboos on the subject. In regards to women not feeling comfortable hanging their blood stained rags out to dry. Not allowing the fabrics to fully dry allows for bacteria and diseases to be harbored in the fabric, bacteria easily grows in moist areas and being able to hang them in the sun allows for existing bacteria to die.
But, perhaps the largest issue at hand is that girls, without a functional option for their periods, are missing school. This is holding them back compared to their male counterparts. While simultaneously keeping concepts of shame present and an understanding that they are less capable than males. It goes without saying that remaining in school and getting an education is vital for these girls. Not only are girls missing school but they are facing shame and ridicule if and when they miss school or if they leak at school because of their current ineffective menstruation rags.
Image/Stats taken from Days for Girls website
It is worth noting that some of these girls do have the funds to afford disposable menstrual pads. But have to rely on their parents or boyfriends in order to afford them. This is simply an ineffective solution to the problem at hand. With the reusable menstrual pads they will pay a small amount for their menstruation needs one time, with these pads lasting approximately three years. The disposable pads are not a solution to dealing with the issue at large, the lack of conversation.
Lack of conversation on the issue is leading to girls
1. Face periods on their own, via staying home from school, or being ridiculed at school
2. Being held back compared to their male counterparts, perpetuating notions of incapability compared to males
3. Not being active and confident they will not leak. These pads lead to building confidence in girls by allowing them to be comfortable with their bodies and not be ashamed or embarrassed of their periods
We wanted to find a solution, with a desire to get as many women these reusable menstrual pads as possible.
We sent four women from four different cooperatives, that are located all over Rwanda, to a Days for Girls convention in Uganda. This 3 day convention taught them how to sew these pads, how to sell and market them, and how to break social norms and have the conversation about periods and work to take steps to fixing this problem. The women are back from the convention and teaching other women in their communities everything they have learned! Now the cooperatives are working to get the supplies to produce these pads.
My current project is to create a presentation to show to high school age girls in Rwanda that will convince them to buy these menstrual pads. They will be sold for a very low price and can last up to 3 years. World Dance for Humanity is currently look for donations to subsidize the fabrics, thread, plastic liners, and buttons for these pads so they can be given away and sold for cheaper. The price for the reusable pad on the chart is just an estimate as our cooperatives still don't know how much they will be to produce. If this project interests you and you would like to donate please visit worlddanceforhumanity.org
This project is a huge step forward compared to either using ineffective rags, or paying an unattainable price for disposable pads. But the biggest feat is being able to break social taboos and talk about this issue plaguing women's life's, girl's educations, and both of their concepts of themselves and their bodies.