Textile menstrual pads for the comfort of women and nature

Mityana Heart to Heart Organisation for Elderly, Disabled and Orphans, located in central Uganda, is occupied with helping children, disabled and elderly people, single mothers... to be able to live more fully and integrated into the society.

With the founder and manager of the organization, Israel Kirabira, we've put together a concrete plan to support the women there in their self-sufficiency as for hygiene, and at the same time reduce the amount of waste in this sphere. Currently, girls/women under the auspices of the organization sometimes get common "plastic" menstrual pads. Thus, environmentally problematic waste arises, and also dependence on future supplies lasts. Textile pads would be a step towards self-sufficiency for the women, and towards purity for nature.

The plan is to acquire a set of washable pads from the firm Meracus, located in the area where I live, and I myself grew fond of some of their products. We will count off 5 pads in 3 sizes of the type "Jane" (https://www.maluna.cz/…ane) for each woman. 15% of the costs will be covered from the Ugandan side, 85% from our side. The manufacturer promised to sell for overhead costs. We have set the limit of 50 women, which is approximately a number of women to which Israel and his wife manage to distribute the pads and explain about the use in the area concerned. If further interest arises in the community, it can be covered from their own sources, by sewing based on this pattern. Israel's wife promised some help in this.

If we gather more money in the collection than needed for the purchase and delivery of these 250 pcs of pads, the plan is to use the extra money further in the same direction. Like, for example, donating some pads to another centre with a similar focus, this time in Kenya, where local women sew some pads already. As a sort of enlivening, and perhaps inspiration for their future creations.