How much does getting your period affect your everyday life? Probably not much. You grab a pad or tampon, and you go about your usual day. Maybe you have cramps or a headache, but you can take a pill to manage that.
Now imagine how that would all change if you did not have those menstrual supplies to hand. What would you use? Could you even leave your house?
According to the charity Days for Girls, girls and women around the world resort to using rags, mattress stuffing, banana leaves, feathers, and even cow dung to manage their menstruation. Often, they remain confined at home or in a room for the duration of their cycle, missing school or work. This is a dismaying reality that we want to help change.
In our January newsletter (sent with every order we ship), we referenced having a charitable focus for 2019:
“Ladies, do you remember when you got your first period? I have been reading about how many women and girls miss school and work because of their periods. Period poverty, lack of available supplies, and a sense of shame surround this topic all over the globe. MMS will be working on some projects to help girls stay in school, help all females get menstrual supplies, and moving shame out of the picture. We hope you will help us learn more about how women all over the globe need our support, and how we can best serve them. If you are currently working in this area, please share with us what you know.”
We have discovered a wonderful group doing this work: Days for Girls provides a safe, beautiful, washable, and long-lasting alternative to using inappropriate and insufficient materials to manage their periods – along with vital health education – to women around the globe. We will join with them, and we’d love it if you’d join us!
I heard about this organization a while back, and I think that what they do is fantastic! Thanks for supporting them!