In 2017, The Pad Project began working with Action India, a grassroots, community-based organization founded in 1976 in the midst of the Autonomous Women’s Movement in India, to identify a community of women who wanted a pad machine in their village. As seen in the film Period. End of Sentence.,The Pad Project helped Action India purchase and install a manual pad machine in the village of Kathikhera. Today, Action India holds more than 100 total workshops per month, covering three different locations, and reaches over 5,000 women directly or indirectly by their Menstrual Health Management (MHM) initiatives.

Located in Los Angeles, Alexandria House provides safe and supportive housing for women and children in the process of moving from emergency shelter to economic stability and permanent housing. Alexandria House receives over 1,000 calls per month and provides food, clothing, hygiene products, and referral services to women seeking emergency shelter. Due to the pandemic and a recent fire, Alexandria House was having difficulty meeting the menstrual needs of its residents, so in April of 2020, The Pad Project provided them with a grant to purchase bulk menstrual supplies. The grant helped Alexandria House purchase 9,000 pads and distribute them to 87 individuals!

AMOR is a non-profit organization that operates Afshar Hospital and ten community clinics in Kabul, Afghanistan. Afshar Hospital works to improve the overall health of women in the local community by promoting best practices with regards to sexual and reproductive health, sanitation and hygiene, and special prenatal care. Due to a demand for 15,000 to 20,000 pads per month, the hospital requested to partner with The Pad Project to install a semi-automated pad machine within the hospital premises. Afshar Hospital will provide space, electricity, and storage for the pad machine in a secure environment, and they will employ 3 to 4 women to operate the machine.

The Committee Against Domestic Abuse (CADA) is an organization located in Mankato, Minnesota that provides safety and support to victims of domestic and sexual violence through education, advocacy, and shelter. Each year, CADA provides services for 2,000 to 3,000 individuals, and its emergency safety shelter houses 100 to 125 women and 60 to 115 children. CADA’s shelter provides residents with hygiene items like shampoo, bodywash, toothpaste, and menstrual products. Because CADA relies on product donations, they don’t usually get a say in what type of products they receive. However, in June of 2020, The Pad Project provided a grant to CADA to purchase bulk menstrual supplies, allowing CADA the flexibility to get a variety of menstrual products to meet the unique needs of those staying in CADA’s shelter and receiving CADA’s services. CADA is using the grant to stock their shelter and seven community advocacy offices with menstrual products! So far, they’ve purchased 18 packs of pads, 10 packs of tampons, and 4 menstrual cups, and they’ve distributed menstrual products to 46 individuals.

With 45 years of experience, the CSUN Women’s Research and Resource Center (WRRC) is the oldest women’s center in the Cal State system. Their goal is to enhance campus and community understanding of gender issues and concerns and to ensure that students at CSUN have their basic needs met. In Fall 2016, the WRRC launched their campus’s first Food and Toiletry Pantry, and within the first 3 months, they had 103 visits. Before the pandemic, the pantry was averaging 120-160 visits per month. Last fall, the WRRC launched a Menstrual Care Initiative, but currently they are only able to offer students 5 pads or tampons per visit per week. To help meet the needs of students, The Pad Project has provided a grant to the WRRC to purchase pads, liners, tampons, and menstrual cups, which will be distributed to students on campus free of charge. This partnership between The Pad Project and the WRRC will work to promote menstrual equity among CSUN students and to break the stigma surrounding menstruation. So far, 56 packs of pads have been purchased, 50 have been distributed, and 43 individuals have been served. As a pandemic safety precaution, the WRRC is only doing no-contact product pick up.

In November 2019, The Pad Project partnered with The Desai Foundation to help expand their Asani Sanitary Napkin Program to the Nanded District of Maharashtra. Our funding supported a portion of the funds required to purchase the new semi-automated machine, which produces retail quality sanitary napkins. The machine produces 5,000 pads per day, improving the health and livelihood of thousands who live in the region. So far, 16,800 pads have been distributed and 129,920 pads have been sold. Because of the pandemic, The Desai Foundation is not currently able to host large-scale MHM workshops. However, they have been conducting one-on-one informational sessions with women in target areas and have reached over 632 women and girls thus far.

In Southern California, Downey Unified School District (DUSD) is working hard to support students and families during the pandemic by providing two meals a day at food distribution sites, serving 2,000 to 3,600 individuals each week. DUSD students are committed to achieving menstrual equity, which is why they created the Power 4 Periods club. This club fundraises and collects menstrual supplies through school-wide product drives to distribute to students who need them. In January 2021, to help support the menstrual health of DUSD students, The Pad Project provided the district with a grant to purchase menstrual products. The grant will allow DUSD to make and distribute menstrual kits to students in need. It will also allow DUSD to ensure that they meet the menstrual needs of their foster families and families experiencing homelessness.

The EcoHub Small Industries is a social enterprise working in more than 50 villages in the north-eastern states of Assam and Nagaland, India to produce sanitary napkins. The Pad Project has partnered with EcoHub to help grow their program by providing them with a manual pad machine. EcoHub aims to reach 2,000 women through the 5 villages they serve in the state of Nagaland. Additionally, EcoHub will conduct health check-ups and set up health awareness camps to improve menstrual and reproductive health. So far, Eco Hub has distributed approximately 7,000 pads to over 1,500 women and girls!

"Periods don’t stop during pandemics” - said Dana Marlowe, Founder and Executive Director of I Support the Girls (ISTG). ISTG is a nonprofit that collects and distributes essential items, including bras, underwear, and menstrual hygiene products to women and folx experiencing homelessness, impoverishment, or distress. In July of 2020, The Pad Project provided a grant to ISTG to help cover the shipping costs of these essential items. Using the grant, ISTG has been able to distribute 46,649 products, including bras, pads, and tampons, to 14 different social service organizations across 9 states. These organizations include domestic violence shelters, women and family shelters, substance abuse programs, Native American reservations, and public schools.

Las Adelitas is a program run by Masa, an organization that partners with Mexican and Latino children, youth, and families in the South Bronx to develop strong learners and leaders who fully participate in and contribute to the larger community. Masa’s community-led, integrated model engages the entire family, grounded in a deep commitment to strengthening literacy, leadership, and power for Mexican, Central American, and Indigenous People. Las Adelitas is a year-round young women’s empowerment and action-based program for young women of color in the South Bronx. The curriculum includes topics related to identity, gender-based violence, menstrual and sexual health, and feminism. In 2020, Las Adelitas successfully completed 3 two-hour menstrual health and sexual education workshops. Due to the impact of the pandemic on women and families, Las Adelitas began distributing menstrual hygiene products to women and girls in their community. In October of 2020, The Pad Project provided a grant to Las Adelitas to purchase, bag, and deliver menstrual supplies to women and girls in the South Bronx. The grant helped Las Adelitas distribute menstrual hygiene products to 329 women and girls in the community!

No More Secrets Mind Body Spirit Inc. is a nonprofit whose mission is to decrease stigmas, silence, and secrecy by increasing self-esteem, socialization, and self-love. They provide consultation services, facilitate trauma informed comprehensive programming, and provide educational trainings and workshops. No More Secrets Mind Body Spirit has created the only menstrual hygiene bank and in-home delivery service in Philadelphia to end period poverty in their community. They serve PA, NJ, and DE, and they ship nationwide to people in need. The Pad Project provided a grant of $1,000 to No More Secrets Mind Body Spirit to purchase bulk menstrual products and spread their campaign. The grant will allow them to meet the menstrual needs of 20 families for 3 to 5 months.

Photograph credit:
ELIZABETH ROBERTSON / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER FROM THE INQUIRER

Pencils of Promise (PoP) is a 501(c)3 for-purpose organization that believes every child should have access to quality education. They build schools, programs, and global communities around the common goal of education for all. PoP partners with local communities and governments to achieve quality education through building and repairing schools, supporting teachers with literacy training, and providing innovative resources and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programming.

The Pad Project has partnered with PoP to implement a reusable cloth pad-making program in the Zona Reina region of Guatemala. The project will teach PoP staff and local teachers how to make reusable pads with cloth and sewing kits. Teachers will then work with their students, both boys and girls, to create reusable pads. Students will be able to create their own pads, which will help them manage their periods.

The project will serve an estimate of 600 students in two schools and provide training to them, as well as 30 teachers, on how to use the reusable pads. Our collective goal is that this reusable cloth pad-making program will expand to different schools in the community and create sustainable social change by increasing access to menstrual hygiene products.

Photography by Nick Onken

Power Pump Girls, Inc. in Baton Rouge, Louisiana is a social impact club connecting and mobilizing women to disrupt systems of inequity. Power Pump Girls helped to successfully eliminate Louisiana’s tampon tax, and their “secured.” program provides education around menstruation and period poverty in order to shatter any stigmas or misconceptions. So far, the program has donated over 20,000 menstrual products to women and girls in need via partnerships with various community organizations. In July of 2020, The Pad Project provided a grant to Power Pump Girls secured. to fund 2 virtual town halls about menstruation and 144 months worth of menstrual products for schools to distribute. The grant helped Power Pump Girls purchase and distribute 7264 menstrual hygiene products!
Image Description:
Sherin Dawud and Raina Vallot, co-founders, Power Pump Girls, Inc.

In Southern California, Santa Ana Unified School District (SAUSD) is working hard to support students and families during the pandemic by providing meal distribution sites and resource referrals. Due to recent financial difficulties caused by the pandemic, many individuals and families in their district can no longer afford menstrual supplies, so SAUSD is working to provide those. In August of 2020, The Pad Project created an Amazon Wish List for SAUSD so donors could purchase menstrual supplies for students. So far, more than $1,600 worth of menstrual products have been donated to SAUSD. To continue to support the district’s work in 2021, The Pad Project provided SAUSD with a grant to purchase additional menstrual supplies that will benefit approximately 250 young menstruators.

Sierra Leone Rising is an organization dedicated to fostering quality education, supporting girls’ empowerment, and ensuring public health in Sierra Leone. In 2017, Sierra Leone Rising conducted a survey which revealed that 24% of girls were absent from schools within Bumpe Ngao Chiefdom because of inconveniences during their menstrual periods. The Pad Project has partnered with Sierra Leone Rising to provide reusable sanitary pads for 250 women, training for self-stitching skills, and educational workshops on menstrual management hosted by Sierra Leone Rising.

For over 126 years, the nonprofit Union Rescue Mission (URM) has provided safe shelter, meals, long-term rehabilitation programs, education, counseling, medical services, and encouragement to help individuals in Los Angeles escape homelessness forever. In June of 2020, The Pad Project provided a grant to URM for the purchase of bulk menstrual supplies. The grant is helping to support the menstrual hygiene needs of the women who currently live in Hope Gardens, a URM family center in Sylmar. With the funds, URM has purchased two pallets of menstrual products, and so far half of them have been distributed to 87 individuals!

Women 4 Women Tempe is dedicated to helping homeless and low-income women in Tempe, Arizona maintain their dignity, self-respect, and health by distributing menstrual hygiene products to those in need. In 2020, Women 4 Women Tempe donated 11,247 pad bags and 5,032 tampon bags for a total of 16,279 bags of menstrual supplies. They also donated 2,180 single pads, 2,197 Depends, and 1,490 Poise. In October of 2020, The Pad Project provided a grant to Women 4 Women Tempe to help them purchase and distribute more menstrual products. The grant has allowed Women 4 Women Tempe to prepare 70 additional bags per month containing pads, tampons, liners, sanitary wipes, and hand wipes for distribution to the women they serve.

Women’s Refugee Care (WRC) in Providence, Rhode Island is a volunteer-driven direct-service organization committed to promoting economic self-sufficiency and gender equality within the refugee community of Rhode Island. WRC runs two programs: a Family Mentorship Program to help refugees navigate life in RI and a Women’s Empowerment Program to help women refugees work through their trauma and learn about their rights. As part of its work, WRC provides women with necessities like cleaning supplies and menstrual products. In June of 2020, The Pad Project provided a grant to WRC to purchase bulk menstrual supplies. The grant will allow WRC to provide pads for 105 women and girls for 6 months.

Ahadi Reusable Pads is a social enterprise located in Kenya whose mission is to increase women’s dignity, improve girls’ self-esteem and comfort, provide affordable and long-lasting period protection, and give high quality pads to women and girls. In Kiswahili, “Ahadi” means “promise,” and it’s Ahadi’s promise that women and girls will fulfill their destiny by maximizing their potential through education. The Pad Project and This is L. have provided a grant to Ahadi to expand their washable pad program and run menstrual hygiene management (MHM) workshops. In the first year, the program will employ 8 women, serve 300 women and girls from 7 schools, and provide 3 MHM workshops. So far they have distributed 105 packs of reusable pads and held MHM workshops for almost 200 participants!

The Arka Initiative, located in Sri Lanka, provides tangible and practical support to men, women, and young people on issues pertaining to sexual and reproductive health. Arka works at an institutional and grassroots level to distribute reusable pads to underserved women in rural communities, provide comprehensive sex education to children and young people, create safe spaces for conversation, and act as a catalyst for increased menstrual health management (MHM) in communities. One workshop attendee said, “We corrected many misconceptions… Truly we haven't spoken so openly before. I feel happy and now I feel like we can even educate others.” The Pad Project and This is L. have provided a grant to Arka to run MHM workshops and to place a semi-automated pad machine in Pareigama, Sri Lanka. The semi-automated pad machine will employ 9 women and 1 supervisor and provide pads for 1,500 to 2,000 women and girls in the first year. The program will also include 12 MHM workshops in local schools, maternity clinics, and other local government institutions, with 150 to 200 women per session.

Days for Girls International is an award-winning NGO that works to shatter stigma and limitations associated with menstruation for improved health, education, and livelihoods. Through their Education & Access to Menstrual Products Strategy, Days for Girls (DfG) provides a holistic menstrual health education curriculum and increases women and girls’ access to menstrual products. Through their Policy & Advocacy Strategy, DfG educates and builds connections with national and international policymakers, coalitions, and organizations who can advance, accelerate and amplify the importance of menstrual health in improving education and livelihood outcomes for women and girls. To date, DfG has reached more than 1.7 million women and girls in 144 countries on 6 continents with quality, sustainable menstrual care solutions, and health education. The Pad Project and This is L. are providing a grant to support the distribution of 7,000 period kits and help Days for Girls International deliver 100 menstrual health education workshops in Malawi, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Lebanon, and South Africa.

In Malawi, DfG has partnered with Chief Theresa Kachindamoto, a world leader in preventing early child marriage, to support the distribution of period kits and the implementation of menstrual health management workshops. All pads will be made by local enterprise leaders in Malawi. In Zimbabwe, DfG is working with local enterprise leaders to provide period kits and menstrual hygiene education to 500 girls and women. In Lebanon, local DfG leaders are distributing period kits to Lebanese and Syrian refugees to combat the recent 500% price increase in menstrual products, which have been exacerbated by COVID-19 and the Beirut explosions. In Uganda, DfG is working with local leaders to provide period kits to female prisoners who have had no access to menstrual products since COVID shut down their supply.

Desai Foundation is a nonprofit whose mission is to empower women and children through community programs to elevate health and livelihood in India and the U.S. In 2014, Desai Foundation began implementing the Asani Sanitary Napkin program to improve access to quality menstrual products and increase awareness of menstrual health management (MHM) in rural India. The program produces and distributes 1 million pads per year, and so far it has provided sanitary products and MHM workshops to over 40,000 women. The program has also provided livelihoods to over 40 women in 4 production units and to approximately 250 distributors per region. One woman says, “This project has affected [the] lives of many young girls, who now attend schools even during their menstrual cycles.” The Pad Project and This is L. have provided a grant to Desai Foundation to support pad distribution and increase MHM awareness. The goal is to promote women’s health while creating livelihood opportunities for women that allow them to play a financial role within their households.

The Inua Dada Foundation is a nonprofit organization based in Nairobi, Kenya whose mission is to provide sustainable solutions that will improve the well being of the girl-child by working collaboratively with partners. They provide menstrual health management programming and basic hygiene products to girls in low-income primary schools across Kenya.

The Pad Project is partnering with the Inua Dada Foundation to place a manual pad machine in Nairobi County. The project, funded by our official period care partner This is L., aims to promote period equity by providing safe, affordable, and accessible menstrual hygiene products to women and girls. The pad machine will employ 5-6 women to produce and sell quality sanitary pads at affordable prices.

One of the women who will be working on the machine says, “It's so difficult trying to manage my menstruation. I'm 22 with an 8 month-old baby, I don't have any consistent income stream and I can barely afford food and diapers, let alone pads. Women and girls need quality and safe menstrual management materials to manage their menstrual periods with dignity and pride.”

During the first year, the project will provide sanitary menstrual products and menstrual hygiene management workshops for approximately 8,000 individuals.

Pencils of Promise (PoP) is a 501(c)(3) for-purpose organization that believes every child deserves access to quality education. They work to build schools, design programs, and partner with global communities to ensure education for all. Through collaborations with government agencies and local institutions, PoP is able to support teachers with literacy training, deliver innovative resources, and provide Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programming.

The Pad Project and Pencils of Promise are excited to partner to reach more students enrolled in PoP’s reusable cloth pad-making program across schools in Ghana. This project will educate local teachers and students – of all genders – on how to create reusable pads with cloth and sewing kits, then equip them with skills to practice healthy menstrual hygiene management.

This partnership will serve an estimated 800 students throughout small, rural communities in Ghana. Our collective goal is to offer direct services related to menstrual hygiene management through our reusable cloth pad-making program. We hope to expand this initiative across PoP schools in the community and create sustainable social change by increasing access to menstrual hygiene products and education. So far, approximately 2,385 washable pads have been produced, serving 795 menstruators. Unfortunately, because of COVID-19 restrictions, PoP has not yet been able to resume their MHM programming.

Plan for the Villages - Uganda is a nonprofit located in the Lira District of Uganda whose mission is to work with communities to enhance self-sustainability, health, education, livelihoods, and social wellbeing. Their project, I Am A Girl, focuses on producing reusable sanitary pads and providing menstrual health education to help girls stay in school. Awor Cindy, a tailoring instructor at Plan for the Villages - Uganda, says, “even as a young woman, I was VERY AWARE that the game plan here was secrecy and concealment and I obediently complied. … I love using reusable sanitary pads which have turned out to [be] a key to reconnecting me with my body in a healthy and natural way.” The Pad Project and This is L. are providing a grant to Plan for the Villages - Uganda to boost production of reusable cloth pads and increase the accessibility of menstrual products in rural communities. The goal is to increase student retention and have a positive, long-term impact on girls’ livelihoods and community development. This program will serve approximately 3,000 women and girls and 12 primary schools, support 16 villages, and host 10 menstrual hygiene management workshops. So far, Plan for the Villages - Uganda has hosted 6 MHM workshops for a total of 450 participants and produced 2,097 washable pads for 750 beneficiaries.

Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation (KSCF) is a nonprofit in Rajasthan, India that envisions a world where every child is free, safe, healthy and educated. Their mission is to eradicate child labor and child exploitation, to engage the private sector to prioritize children in their business models, to build capacity of partners on the ground, and to advocate for the protection of children in national and international policies. The Pad Project and This is L. have provided a grant to KSCF to purchase a semi-automated pad machine and run menstrual hygiene management (MHM) workshops.This project is intended to help girls manage their periods and continue their education. The pad machine will employ 9 women and 1 supervisor, and in the first year, it will serve 1,200 girls. The program will also include 12 MHM workshops, with 100 girls in each workshop.

Sierra Leone Rising (SLR), located in Bumpe, Sierra Leone, is a nonprofit that seeks to build and maintain healthy, resourceful communities where individuals empower themselves through leadership and collaboration. SLR supports quality education, fosters girls’ and women’s empowerment, and ensures public health and safety. SLR was founded by Joseph Hindogbae Kposowa, a Barrister & Solicitor of the High Court of Sierra Leone, who is involved in collaborative global programs that foster peace, education, women’s empowerment, and public health. To further SLR’s mission, The Pad Project provided a grant in 2019 to fund the implementation of a reusable cloth pad-making program, training for self-stitching skills, and menstrual hygiene management workshops. This program produces inexpensive and environmentally friendly washable pads, allowing girls to attend school with more confidence and fewer distractions during their period. Isata George, a student in Sierra Leone, said, “before the emergence and distribution of washable pads to us, we find it difficult to go to school. … Now, we hardly miss school during our period and our uniforms no longer get stained with period blood.” In June 2020, The Pad Project partnered with This is L. to continue funding the reusable cloth pad-making program and expand its impact to reach 250 women and girls in one year. So far, SLR has hosted 12 MHM workshops for a total of 700 participants and distributed 3,250 washable pads.

MicroX Foundation (also known as SumArth) is a nonprofit social enterprise in Bihar, India dedicated to supporting farmers and women in their economic growth by providing 360 degree solutions for livelihood challenges and public health issues. Their mission is to ensure sustainable livelihoods for rural communities, promote enterprise-led development, and provide end-to-end support to agrarian communities. The Pad Project and This is L. have provided a grant to MicroX Foundation to purchase a manual pad machine, train women to run the enterprise, market the pads, and provide menstrual health management (MHM) education. This program is designed to increase access to menstrual products and MHM education, improve girls’ self-esteem and comfort, and create a women-owned, self-sustaining enterprise. The program will serve approximately 500 girls and women in the first year and will host 20 MHM workshops in local schools. Because of pandemic restrictions, MicroX Foundation has conducted Focused Group Discussions, as opposed to larger MHM workshops, in at least 8 villages for over 250 women and girls, including teachers and primary healthcare workers.

Uzima Healthcare is a reusable sanitary pad and women’s health social enterprise based in Nairobi, Kenya. Uzima Healthcare is collaborating with local artists to design effective and funky visuals in communities to support sustainable messaging around women’s health. The Pad Project has partnered with Uzima Healthcare to support the production and distribution of washable pads and the implementation of menstrual hygiene management workshops. Although these workshops will mostly benefit women in the community, male community members will be invited to join for sections of the workshops.

Contact Uzima Healthcare at uzimahealthcarekenya@gmail.com or call +254 (0) 714 950 928 to learn more.

The Women’s Foundation Nepal (WFN) is a nonprofit dedicated to educating women on their rights, promoting gender equality, eliminating gender-biased laws, and advocating for equal gender participation in government and society. WFN provides a safe shelter for women and children and gives them medical, psychological, and legal assistance. The Pad Project and This is L. have provided a grant to WFN to purchase a manual pad machine and run menstrual hygiene management (MHM) workshops. The project will serve 300 women and girls in the first year, employ 5 women and 1 supervisor to work on the machine, and run 4 MHM workshops for a total of 100 girls.

As of April 2020, The Pad Project has partnered with Lulu Lab, a humanitarian game studio that uses educational games and quizzes to discuss taboo topics like menstrual hygiene and sexual health and rights. Lulu Lab has been acknowledged by UNESCO, recently won British Council’s global innovation challenge #IdeasChangeLives, and has more than 2 years of experience co-designing and developing digital solutions and educational games with and for vulnerable children, adolescents, religious leaders, rural communities, and NGOs. The Pad Project is partnering with Lulu Lab to create a pilot impact study of our partnership with Sierra Leone Rising. An impact study will help us assess and understand the level of impact that the reusable cloth pad-making program has made in the lives of the users - e.g. improvement in day-to-day lives, increase in school attendance, decrease in menstrual stigma.