Menstrual Education and Distribution of Reusable Pads

1. Menstruation is not well understood by young girls or grown women from disadvantaged backgrounds in India

a. Myths exist such as they have to stay home or are unclean at that time of the month, or menstruation is getting rid of dirty blood in the body

b. The natural process in the body during menstruation is not known by them

c. What to eat and what activities are okay are not known

2. Home-made cloth pads are still used by poor girls and women

a. They move out of place

b. Can leak or stain clothes

c. Time and effort to make

3. Disposable pads have become widely available

a. Pads are made of plastic that comes in contact with the body

b. The chemicals used to make the pads can be toxic

c. They are expensive and out of reach for many poor girls

4. Ecological burden of disposable pads is very high

a. It is estimated that if a quarter of adolescent girls in India use disposable pads, about 90 million pads would be disposed every month

b. Disposable pads and tampons are thrown into the sewers clogging them

c. Incinerating pads: Burning plastic at temperatures less than 800 degrees Celsius releases toxic pollutants such as dioxins which cause cancer, birth defects, endometriosis, etc.

1. Menstrual education

a. Small group discussions are conducted with teenage girls in municipal schools for disadvantaged students to explain what happens when they menstruate

b. Basic anatomy and physiology of the female reproductive system are taught

c. Education on healthy eating and activity during that time is done

d. Myths are dispensed and questions are answered

2. Why pre-made organic cotton cloth pads are beneficial?

a. They are soft and flexible so mold to body and feel comfortable against skin

b. They stay in place due to the buttons

c. They do not feel wet due to flannel inner layer

d. They do not leak due to 5 layers of organic cotton and coating of back layer

e. They smell much less and if put in bag, do not smell at all

f. They will save money in the long run as they last 5 years (75 washes)

g. They are easy to wash and clean

h. Company that manufactures provides livelihood for local poor rural women

3. Care and cleaning of cloth pads is explained

4. Kits containing 6 organic cotton pads and a carrying pouch are distributed to all girls that want them for free (funding obtained by donations)