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A unique approach to helping girls in developing nations stay in school
Periods can be a hassle, but can you imagine what your life would be like if you didn’t have pads and tampons when you needed them? As it happens, this is exactly the case for hundreds of thousands of girls in the developing world, with serious implications for their futures.
Vancouver-based sustainable feminine hygiene products company Lunapads International is working to address the issue by sending reusable monthly hygiene kits to recipient groups in a dozen nations including Haiti, Kenya, Uganda and Sudan.
There are over 600 million girls in developing nations: one of the most effective solutions for improving their lives is educating them. Feminine hygiene supplies are however in many cases either unaffordable or simply not available. Without adequate supplies, about 20% of them stay home from school rather than risk ridicule or discomfort. The cumulative effect of these missed days over months and years is devastating, resulting in measurably earlier ages of school drop-out, marriage and childbearing. Career choices are limited, and girls are less likely to be able to get ahead and break the cycle of poverty for their families and communities.
The Kits, dubbed “Pads4Girls” contain specialized panties as well as washable cloths that can be cleverly added to the panties during menstruation, thus providing for daily, as well as monthly needs. The Kits also include a mesh wash bag and double-sided waterproof fabric carry purse to hold fresh and used supplies while at school. Everything is completely washable and reusable for years, making it not only “green” but further highly economical. The Kits cost $28 (a reference to the classic 28 day menstrual cycle), and are available for purchase by individual donors, as well as aid organizations.
According to Mercy Musomi, a pioneer in girls’ wellness and education and currently the Executive Director of the Girl Child Network in Kenya, in 2004 her organization carried out research on gender equity and equality in primary education in Kenya. Girls confessed that they missed school due to lack of sanitary towels during menstruation, saying they were resorting to unsanitary solutions such as cow-dung on green leaves, pieces of old newspapers, old rugs and socks while other girls in high school offered sex to get money to buy tissue/toilet papers to use while in menstruation.
To date, Lunapads, in partnership with its customers, has donated over 1,000 Kits. A shipment of 500 Kits is slated to be sent shortly to the Dominican Republic, thanks to fundraising efforts by a student team comprised mostly of boys from a prestigious Seattle-based private school.
So the next time you’re cursing your cramps or an unexpected period “emergency”, consider the consequences of not being able to manage your menses at all, and consider making a donation to Pads4Girls to help a girl stay in school!