Good for Girls...

 

You may have noticed I have added some buttons onto the sidebar recently...

One of them is for 'Mooncup'... "a reusable cup made from soft silicone rubber. Worn internally like a tampon it collects menstrual fluid rather than absorbing. Unlike tampons the Mooncup is not a disposable product, so you only need to buy one."

I seem to have become an advocate for this amazing product, that I had no idea even existed until a few months ago. 

After reading Kels hilarious post and her comments, I have decided to become an 'Ambassador' for getting the word out about reusable products for women. Something for me that has always been a bit hush hush, is now something to be proud of and shout about. 

I have registered to sell the 'Mooncup' and make 20% commission when my readers click on the 'Mooncup' button to the right and make a purchase. For each one sold, I will make £4. This money is paid into my Paypal account when the total reaches £20. 

Which brings me onto the second new button to the right...

 'Good for Girls'

... a charity that aims to help young women gain access to better menstrual products. Their goal is to help these girls live their lives and go to school without fear that what they are using during their period will fail. They are focusing on donations of handmade reusable menstrual pads to send to girls in the regions of Kenya, Sudan and Uganda. These donations are handed out by local aid organisations. More information can be found in the FAQ on the 'Good for Girls website.

I will then donate my commission to 'Good for Girls' by cash donation using Paypal. Every time I reach the £20 target I will publish my 'Mooncup' totals and Paypal payments on my blog.

So if you are thinking about changing over to a reusable product, wherever you are in the world, consider a 'Mooncup' and you will also be helping young girls in Africa to live a happier life. I should start singing in a screechy voice and dancing around the room about now...

"In many areas of the world, access to adequate menstrual supplies is difficult to come by. Many women and girls rely on rags, newspaper, camel skin or nothing at all for their menstrual needs. A lack of sanitary pads can be a big barrier to a girl's education.

It may seem difficult to comprehend for many women who have easy access to a varied source of supplies, but we can all appreciate how difficult life would be without them. Imagine trying to go to school or work without protection. For many, it brings life to a halt.

Providing disposable supplies creates an additional burden on some communities where solid waste disposal consists of burning the garbage. Since many disposable feminine hygiene products contain plastic, incineration potentially creates an environmental and health hazard.

Goods 4 Girls was started to seek out donors to sew or purchase new, reusable menstrual pads for donations to areas of Africa where these products are needed most. Providing reusable supplies not only provides a more environmentally friendly alternative for these young women (in areas of adequate water supply for washing), it reduces their dependence on outside aid organizations to continue providing for their monthly needs."

Q. Why are you focusing on reusable menstrual pads and not menstrual cups? (like the Mooncup)
A. Because of potential hygiene issues, using a reusable menstrual product that gets inserted into the body requires additional education and "processing" such as cleaning the cup with boiled water. Additionally, we are culturally sensitive to potential taboos with young girls using an insertable product.

We are looking into the distribution of menstrual cups to some community members (older women who are interested), but at this point, we are focusing on menstrual pads. If an interest in the cups develops we'll be available to help in raising the funds for them and distributing the cups.

For more information or to get involved with the 'Good for Girls' project, click on the button to the right, or this link:

http://www.goods4girls.org/