March 2, 2008

Cloth Pads + Goods 4 Girls



I got this email from Deanna and thought it might be of interest to our readers:

I don't want to take up much of your time, but I did want to tell you about a new project I just started, Goods 4 Girls. In short, it is an organization that collects donations of new, reusable menstrual pads (aka Mama pads) from women who either want to sew their own or want to buy pre-made ones. Goods 4 Girls is working with aid organizations in Uganda and Kenya to distribute the pads to girls in need.

There are currently Tampax and Always ads airing on television regarding Proctor and Gamble's donations of disposable pads to South African schoolgirls to help keep them in school. My concern when I first saw the ads was with the environmental impact of the disposable menstrual products. So, I posted on my blog about the alternative with reusable pads and the interest was great enough that I started up Goods 4 Girls and now have several aid organizations on board. To sum it all up, girls miss school when they have their periods because they don't have adequate supplies.

Currently, GladRags is offering a promotional Goods4Girls kit to be donated to Goods 4 Girls and other large pad manufacturers will be do so soon. The interest is very high with this project.


In the future, part of the program will involve assisting local African communities in teaching women and girls how to sew their own pads with materials donated and sent via Goods 4 Girls so they can be more self-sustainable.

You can find out more information about the project at the website . If you are interested in promoting the project on your blog, there are different buttons you can grab from the contact page

nikki posted awhile back on sew green about making her own cloth pads . the tutorial is on the right.

and if you are interested in purchasing some really cute and well made handmade pads you can visit amanda's shop modern acorn on etsy.

6 comments:

f. pea said...

what a great project! i love making cloth pads, and i really haven't had much occasion to make them, since the set i made myself 9 years ago is still going strong (which, by the way, is a great reason for women in developing countries to use them -- one donation will last years, rather than just one time).

Anonymous said...

What a terrific idea! I have worked in girls' education in a remote part of Africa and reusable pads could make a huge difference in the lives of girls there.

SewAmy said...

this is a great idea. I will have to read more about it when I have time. Thanks for the info.

Anonymous said...

Hi:

This is a wonderful idea! I'm wondering if the AID organizations that Deanna is associated with could use hand-knitted wash cloths? I'm a pretty fast knitter with quite a bit of good old cotton yarn that I'd love to make cloths with if I thought I could find a good outlet for them. Thanks for posting this !

Consists of... said...

I can not see Good4girls blog page

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