Subject:

Funding Proposal to

Train and Empower Adolescent Girls on

How to make

Reusable Sanitary Pads

Prepared & Presented By: Igire Rwanda Organization

TRAINING IN RE-USABLE SANITARY PAD PRODUCTION

The Project:

About 65% of women and girls in Rwanda especially in rural areas cannot afford sanitary pads.

A school going girl therefore remains at home during her period waiting for it to end. Evidence shows that the period around puberty is one in which many girls drop out of school or are absent from school for significant periods of time. Limited access to safe, affordable, convenient and appropriate methods for dealing with menstruation has far reaching implications for the rights, physical, social and mental well-being of many adolescent girls in Rwanda and other developing countries as well.

The proposed project seeks to address the perpetual challenge of menstruation management through training school girls in making and using reusable sanitary pads named IRO Pads using locally available materials. A big number of girls in Rwanda do not have access to any form of sanitary protection, obstructing good education, economic and social activities. This does not only affect an individual’s life and career prospects, it affects the entire community they live in. There is also very little formal support, education or understanding about pubertyand sexual health. Fear, superstition, and embarrassment about body changes lead to low self-esteem.

Sex can be used as payment for towels and even planned pregnancy in under-aged girls is used to avoid monthly menstruation. Therefore, girls are more prone to dropping out of school, pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Projects that increase school attendance, retention and achievement can play an important role in women’s empowerment, social andeconomic achievement.The project considers schools as organized points for training.

The Concept:

We would like to provide hands on training to the girls and women in the local communities on how to independently make, clean and care for reusable sanitary kit so as to improve girl’s access to effective, sustainable, affordable, eco-friendly and safe menstruation products. One packet of the reusable pads is sufficient to meet the sanitary needs of a girl for over a year.

The availability of affordable reusable sanitary towels to girls in poverty-stricken areas will enhance the enrolment and retention of girls in school thus having a long-term impact on an individual girl and her community development.

With a sanitary kit of reusable sanitary pads, girls in Rwanda can go for up to 3yearswith sufficient protection during their menstruation days. This translates to 4 days of living per month, 48 days per year and 144 days within 3 years where girls will enjoy hygiene, safety, education, high self-esteem and dignity.

The IRO Pads will help girls have a reliable and sustainable solution to their menstrualworries hence enabling them avoid infections, exploitation, shame, low self-esteem, stress andthey will remain in school. This process will include educating girls on matters of reproductivehealth, self-defense, personal hygiene, and sewing lessons.

The main objectives are:

In Rwanda, a country where most families are below the poverty line, what seem like regular everyday occurrences in the west are quite often major issues. Every month millions of women struggle to deal with issues surrounding menstruation. Sanitary pads are simply too expensive and out of their reach. They therefore have no choice but to use pieces of old foam mattresses, cut blankets, old and unclean T-shirts, leaves, mud, animal skin, toilet paper, bark cloth rags and even chicken feathers instead of a sanitary towel. A culture of shame and embarrassment forces them to keep silent about this practice which is responsible for a significant proportion of illnesses and infections associated with female reproductive health. Rags that are unclean cause urinary and vaginal infection. Very often serious infections are left untreated. This is a common incident in most slum and rural areas. Menstruation management remains a daunting challenge in the life of many adolescent girls and women alike.

  • To provide training on the production and management of re-usable sanitary kits to girls and women.
  • To increase access of vulnerable adolescent girls to comprehensive menstrual hygiene management knowledge and risk awareness of HIV&AIDS among girls.
  • To reach women that live in the informal settlements and give them an alternativeproduct that fits their budget and enables them go on with their lives normally.
  • The project will ultimately help fulfill the girls of rural Rwanda’s academic potential andhelp us stimulate rural industry and employment too.
  • The hygiene levels will go up andwomen/girls will have their dignity back and proud of who they are and what they canachieve.
  • To improve their self-esteem and confidence.

The Current Challenges and Situational Analysis:

Many girls from poor families in Rwanda lack access to sanitary pads.

Poor Rwandan girls who cannot afford pads resort to unhygienic and unsafe solutions.

Most rural and disadvantaged girls engage in transactional sex or are sexually exploited to get money for basic feminine supplies like pads hence the risk of STIs and HIV.

Lack of access to sanitary towels for girls and women means no school, no work forwomen, no leaving home, no friends, no joy, no hope etc.

School absenteeism is a major risk factor to the education of girls in Rwanda.

A girl child with lack of access to menstrual products faces emotional and psychologicalstress.

Menstruation adds to the collection of reasons for gender disparity experienced by girls in Rwanda.

Summary of Menstruation related Problems Faced by Girls and Women:

High cost of commercial sanitary pads;

Absenteeism from school when menstruating;

Unhygienic ways to dry menstrual materials;

Inadequate waste disposal facilities;

Lack of privacy for changing menstrual materials;

Leakage from poor-quality protection materials;

Lack of resources for washing such as soap;

Limited education about the facts of menstruation;

Limited access to counseling and guidance;

Fear caused by cultural myths;

Embarrassment and low self-esteem;

Proposed Target Group and Beneficiaries of this project:

Girls in primary (Primary 4 to primary seven girls)

Secondary schools (Rural senior one to senior four girls

Teenage Mothers.

Traditional birth attendants and health-extension workers

Out-of-school Dropout girls

Women Groups and Politicians.

Female teachers and Parents

Special interest Groups like the Disabled.

Petty traders associations within the female dominated markets

Young out-of-school female entrepreneurs in marginalized communities

University students/rural living

Advantagesof Dorm Pads

  • These pads are easy to use and maintenance is equally easy (simply soak, was hand dry.
  • They have a higher rate of absorption than the disposable pads and heavy flow, can be managed by adding more layers.
  • They are made from natural fibers (cotton) hence are soft, comfortable, free of irritation.
  • Cloth pads are made from attractive colors and prints which also hide stains.
  • Materials used to make reusable pads are biodegradable and decompose easily.
  • No Health Risk
  • Safer than any local substitutee.g. Leaves, paper, cow dung,
  • Cost effective
  • These pads can last 2 years or more,
  • Easily repaired and replicated by users.
  • Easy to make and use
  • Can be made without a sewing machine or tailoring skills,
  • Easy to wash and dry.
  • Comfortable, reliable and convenient
  • They are soft, leak resistant and friction free,
  • Adapted to personal flow,
  • No reliance on imports or supply chains.

Comparative and Added Advantage of this initiative

  • This is an affordable, durable, environmentally sound solution that can be made by girls or women within their own homes. The women we work with are co-producers ratherthan customers.
  • We offer knowledge and training, rather than a product. We work through existingcommunity links, sharing knowledge that is brought back to the grass roots to helpfacilitate the best designs. The Dom sanitary towel is an open design that can be made,adapted and sold by anyone.
  • This is an innovative approach that distributes knowledge and skills, and the pads are long lasting and sustainable.
  • The designs are not fixed and girls are encouraged to tailor it to their own size, shape,and menstrual flow and skin type.
  • Individuals will be able to easily repair and replace personal pads, and it is possible forsome girls to create a small income by selling them.
  • This pad can be made and used as the first line protection or can be available as back up when other options are not accessible.
  • For women who suffer from regular yeast infections or find manufactured napkinsirritating (causes itchiness or skin irritation), dorm Pads are so soft and comfortable.
  • Training fee is inclusive of training materials and equipment.
  • Training equipment and products from the training remain with the trainees to enablethem continue with the practice.
  • Trainees are also taught basic book keeping skills and savings
  • Implementation support is provided after the training

Long term benefits to the trained beneficiaries

  • We train and leave the girls with ready pads (products resulting from the training) for use.
  • This means every girl trained is equipped with the pads to use.
  • Equipment used is left with the school for further in-house training and production.
  • We source our materials locally and get labor from the local community thus enabling us provide employment to the community, minimize on costs of production and withadditional capital we will be able to save on bulk purchases.
  • Dominion believes that affordable sanitary pads should be a basic women right, and we are out to prove that reality.
  • By allowing adolescent girls stay in school, prevents early marriage and pregnancy
  • Allowing these girls to advance in their education and become successful thus adding a lot to the nation’s GDP.
  • By incorporating families into the educational campaign, parents will see the value in“educating girls,” thereby improving the value of a daughter in a culture that exhibitsmale-child preferences.
  • There will be a reduction in gynecological morbidity, which affects 35-40% of the female population.
  • There will also be a reduction in the percentage of girls that drop out of school uponmenarche.

Composition and Specification of IRO Pads

The identification of suitable local materials is done by collecting and testing different kinds of cloth for absorptive ability, comfort, availability and cost. Accordingly, cloth materials ranging from locally made cotton sheets to factory remainders are assessed. Sample sanitary napkins will be produced in various shapes and densities

Our pattern is a little bit wider and longer than some patterns available in the market.

This is to accommodate the average woman, who is a size 14 or larger. Standard pads and liners are created for a size-6 woman. Pads made from this pattern are less likely to leak because they are large enough to fit properly. For smaller women, or those who prefer slightly smaller pads, there are several other patterns available.

These feminine products are interchangeable for light, medium and heavy flow days. Like practicing recycling or remembering to bring your own shopping bags to the market with you, washing re-usable is admittedly a little more work than just throwing away used pads and tampons.

Different sizes, dimensions and specifications of the pads

1 Maxi Pad & Liner (10"L x 6.5"W)

1 Maxi Wing Liner (9.5"L x 6"W)

1 Mini Pad & Liner (8"L x 6.5"W)

1 Mini Wing Liner (7.5"L x 5.5"W)

1 Mini Panty liner (8"L x 6.5"W)

1 Teeny Panty liner (6"L x 5.5"W)

Key Monitoring Indicators:

We shall monitor the following:

  • Number of girls and young women accessing affordable, locally produced reusable sanitary Napkins;
  • Increased attendance rates especially for adolescent girls in target schools;
  • Reduction in cases of teenage pregnancies and school dropouts in target schools;
  • Number of women who report increased incomes from engaging in production and sale of locally produced reusable sanitary napkins;
  • Replication of the knowledge in other schools

Our team

IRO has a united team of committed people from all walks of life from Rwanda and Uganda, who have ever experienced what it is like to be an underprivileged individual. We have trainers who are graduate,and undergraduate degree holders and passionate about sustainable development assisted by training assistant. These team members are crucial to our effort as they can help bridge the language gap (help in translation); they can describe to usfirsthand the problems disadvantaged girls have and the solutions they wish they had, and that we can now give.

Proposed Prospects for Future Project Sustainability:

This initiative sets clear example in linking sanitation and hygiene service delivery with income generation and improved livelihoods. It is an illusion that makes us feel like we have a semblance of power over our lives hence;

(1) Identification of suitable local materials for making safe, affordable, and reusable pads,

(2) Training school girls, local women and tailors on how to make pads,

  • To bridge the awareness and knowledge gap in the school community on menstrualhygiene management, a manual on menstrual hygiene management is developed andawareness creation sessions will be conducted with teachers, supervisors, students and Parents.

(3) Supporting trained tailors in mass production,

  • Accordingly, with a view towards enhancing sustainable income generation opportunities for women, we shall establish training centers to train local female tailors to produce the sanitary pads.

(4) Establishing supply outlets in schools and surroundings

  • Each school will establish an outlet run by adolescent girls and female teachers. Schools will be mobilized to make it easy for girls to access the pads

(6) Lobbying stakeholders for up scaling.

  • Through sharing or working with government and relevant stakeholders, this project is likely to show strong potential for up scaling in the country. Furthermore, by involving private sectoractors in service delivery in sanitation and hygiene, it may be possible to lay a stronger foundation for sustainability.

About IRO Pads

Background information:

Education is a vital tool for empowering individuals and more so girls. Studies have shown that an educated woman is able to get gainful employment and later on play important role in development. Academic performance correlates closely with school attendance, and absenteeism.

Menstruation is a normal, natural process that occurs in all healthy adolescent and young women who haven't reached menopause. Girls begin to menstruate normally between eight and twelve years. In the lifetime of a woman, she has to manage 3,000 days of menstruation. An average schoolgirl ranging from primary 4 goes through an average of 4 days of menstruation per month and a total of 12 school days per term. This means in a year of 3 terms of learning, a girl goes through an average of 36 days of menstruation.

The Rwandan Context:

In a typical poor Rwandan family, where there is hardly enough money to cater for food, shelter and other basic needs, sanitary products are not a priority. Therefore, providing sanitary materials for girls would be a life-changer for numerous reasons including hygiene, health, education and empowerment. In many developing countries, attention is usually directed towards seeking solutions to end war, hunger, diseases and terrorism while menstruation management problems are the last things an aid organization or government would think of. Menstruation is therefore is considered among the highest rated factors for school dropout among girls in Rwanda, with 1 in 10 girls missing school due to lack of sanitation products or facilities in schools. Girls in Rwanda need sanitary towels, which are affordable, locally accessible, more sustainable, reusable and washable yet long lasting, comfortable and very importantly eco-friendly.

Cultural and traditional barriers still play a prominent role in hindering the access of several girls to education. Very little attention has been paid to critical issues like menstruation management that are vital for the retention of girls in school, especially those that have reached puberty. Studies show that due to lack of proper materials for managing menstruation, a girl will miss an average of 48 days per year during her menstruation periods. Absenteeism leads to poor academic performance, whicheventually leads to the drop out rate of a sizeable number of girls from schools. Interventionsaimed at providing free and accessible reusable sanitary pads will go a long way in reversing the negative trend of girls’ education, especially in the rural areas.

In many African countries, menstruation is a very private matter that is rarely talked about in public. This makes it even more difficult for women to seek for a solution to their plight directly as menstruation is a very hush topic in Africa and the taboo is too deeply seated to uproot. Some girls and young women are simply shy to ask for sanitary pads in a shop and others cannot afford one.

Most of them find their schools to be typically “girl unfriendly” with not even a trash bin in place that could be used. Mutenessabout the issue of menstruation coupled with the disadvantaged socioeconomic position of girls and women in Africa in general and Rwanda in particular perpetuates further inaccessibility to the much - needed sanitary pad.

Our Vision: To free girls and women from the disruptions that menstruation brings to their lives through diverse solutions.

Our Goal: To empower vulnerable girls and women by enabling them have access to reusable pads and building capacity on menstrual hygiene management and reproductive health for improved performance and self-esteem.