17 different women, 36 crazy children, 0 babies in utero
Adventures, Advice and Questions from a group of Mormon women who met in Queens, NY and have now scattered all over the place.
 

Monday, February 18, 2008

Make Stuff: Goods 4 Girls

You may have seen the new commercials sponsored by Tampax and Always about girls in Africa that have to miss school because they aren't able to manage their menstrual flow because of a lack of women's sanitary supplies. At first glance, the commercial tugs at you heart and the company's commitment to providing supplies seems like a reasonable solution to the problem at hand. Who doesn't want to keep girls in school? The cynical side of me kicked in quick as I wondered if it really could be that simple. Turns out, it's not.

There have been a few articles that have discussed the problems with such a plan. This caused one mother to start working on a plan of her own to make a distribute reusable menstrual pads in areas of Africa where water is readily available to clean the pads. For these areas, this is obviously a more sustainable answer to a real big problem. For these girls, it means trading in rags, banana leaves and newspaper for something they can actually rely on. Check out the Goods 4 Girls website for more information on how to get involved.

UPDATE: More details on the aid organizations Goods 4 Girls will be working with can be found here.

Goods for Girls


10 Comments:

  • I'm in. We'll do a sewing night via Skype!

    Kudos to you for bringing some attention to this worthy cause!
    posted by Blogger Sara at 2/18/2008 01:22:00 PM  



  • Wow...I'd never even considered that problem before. I think that this really might be the motivation I need to finally learn how to use my sewing machine!
    posted by Blogger Jen at 2/18/2008 01:58:00 PM  



  • Thanks, Tftcarrie, for caring, noticing, and taking the time to draw attention to something like this. Perhaps I'll organize a YW's service activity here in Tokyo . . .
    posted by Blogger sunny at 2/18/2008 08:37:00 PM  



  • Thanks Aunt Carrie for this post. I just saw that add recently and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. I definitely want to sew some things once I have access to a sewing machine!
    posted by Anonymous Anonymous at 2/18/2008 08:49:00 PM  



  • That's wonderful Carrie- I've used the Gladrags brand before- they look just like the pattern-and they really are cool.

    I was skeptical about that commercial when I saw it- even going to far to comment out loud about the taboo on menstruating being more likely to cause school absence.

    It's nice to see someone we more proactive than I was with my snarky comment.
    posted by Blogger tracy m at 2/18/2008 11:38:00 PM  



  • Tamra and I started a craft group that meets twice a month. This looks like an awesome project for us to tackle. What is great is that it is a co-ed craft group so I can't wait to see guys sewing these.
    posted by Blogger brenbot at 2/19/2008 09:02:00 AM  



  • Yay everyone who is going to attempt to sew these! Just FYI, it seems like the one material you won't be able to get at a local fabric store is the PUL (the waterproof layer). So keep that in mind and order it ahead of time from an online cloth diaper making supply store (there are a few links on Goods 4 girls) or I found some on Ebay too. I have heard the 2mil weight is a little easier to sew on, but i don't know for sure.

    Also, if you make ones with snaps, instead of investing in a machine or tool, look for someone in town that has a fancy snap machine who will put them on for you for a few cents a piece. Otherwise, you might just want to use a small piece of aplix/velcro.
    posted by Blogger This is Carrie at 2/19/2008 09:09:00 AM  



  • Great idea for a service project. Now I know what to do with all my diaper making scraps.
    posted by Blogger Mommymita at 2/19/2008 04:14:00 PM  



  • Thank you for posting. I can always learn something new from you guys at Tales. This really seems like a great project that I can help with.
    posted by Blogger Robins Nest at 2/20/2008 09:08:00 AM  



  • Hey everyone,

    I'm glad to see you are interested in helping out. I've been talking with so many aid agencies this week in Uganda, Kenya and Sierra Leone about the incredible need for helping these girls out that I'm glad to see that you have taken an interest in the project.

    Giving these girls the option of using something besides banana leaves, newsprint or rags is something I'm very excited about!

    I look forward to working with you.

    Deanna Duke
    http://www.goods4girls.org
    posted by Anonymous Anonymous at 2/21/2008 08:43:00 PM  



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