Every once in awhile, an individual throws an idea to the wind and it takes flight.
You’ve seen those Tampax & Always commercials describing how girls in South Africa often miss school because of lack of menstrual protection? Procter and Gamble has started a program in Africa, where they are donating Always sanitary pads to girls who otherwise would miss several days of school each month due to inadequate menstrual supplies. You buy their product, they donate.
Kudos to them for stepping up to address a need, but….while I just said “hmmm, I’m not so sure about that”…Crunchy Chicken, eco-challenge blogger extraordinare, saw these ads and then pondered out loud at the solid waste concerns associated with maxi-pads. Lacking Class II landfills, many African girls might rely substantially on incineration, triggering a very real air quality concern.
From what I’ve read, the biggest barrier to girls staying in school past puberty has a lot less to do with lack of menstrual products, but more the lack of bathrooms, privacy and clean running water. Imagine having to change a rag or newspaper (which is what most girls use), or now a pad or possibly tampons, while squatting behind a bush and then having no facilities to wash your hands? ~Crunchy
Crunchy asked if there would be interest in starting a donation drive for reusable menstrual pads. Within days, Crunchy started the Good 4 Girls website, complete with resources to make or purchase reusable pads. She’s been in touch with 5 aid organizations in 4 African countries, which have confirmed there is great need for a program such as this. By the end of March, she hopes to have enough donations to ship 60 kits to girls in Africa.
