I've been meeting with women's groups throughout my community and showing them this design for reusable sanitary pads. From the words of my friend Jimmy "gross but necessary". I know this concept seems so foreign to people living in the first world, we've gotten to a point where we don't even think about menstruation, but here in the village it's really a big deal. Pads can be bought at the local market for mk30 for one about one American penny. But when a young girl needs 4-5 a day, and mk30 can buy you a bunch of tomatoes or vegetables for lunch, what do you think they are choosing?
So the local "solution" is to tie a string around one's waist and tuck a chitenge (2meters of fabric) from the front to the back (through the legs). Now girls, ladies, women (boys I'm sure you can use your imagination) imagine walking around, going to class, to work, doing any daily activity on your period with a strip of cloth as your safety net so-to-speak. This "solution" isn't a solution, it's a pathway to disaster. Now add on the fact that you're 14, your culture doesn't talk about periods- not even your mothers, you're in middle school, no self confidence, and you have a period- why would you go to school? To feel ridiculed? Embarrassed? Ashamed? That's what these girls are dealing with EVERY month. Girls aren't empowered, they have no self worth, this is a problem and this is where I hope to find a solution.
So a few days ago I get contacted by a mothers group- their aim is to keep girls in school and they are interested in the pad project!! So yesterday I got to meet with 10 women who's aim is already to empower girls and teach them this simple design. We meet around two and start discussing problems and solutions and eventually we stop chatting and start sewing. The goal of this initial meeting was to show them how simple it is, let them try out the pads and brainstorm ideas of how to get these pads to the school girls. The women are super excited and want to meet again next month to start a Business plan, we are either going to sell them to raise money to make pads for the girls or write a grant to get supplies to make them for the girls at the school. This is the first step, introducing simple ideas and starting conversations. I'm obviously excited.
If you want to contribute to the pad project feel free to send: needles, string, old buttons, fabric scraps greater than or equal to one foot by one foot to:
Kristi Mathis, PCV
C/O Brooke Mancuso
P.O. Box 3
Bwanje health center
Bwanje, Ntcheu, Malawi
Africa
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