Reusable Sanitary Napkins: A Project Proposal
I never realized how much of a global issue and stigma stood against feminine hygiene. This topic is so basic yet so confidential and sometimes uncomfortable to discuss that it often flies right over our heads with little concern. Rarely do we think about women who do not have access to these necessities such as pads or tampons. In America, we often take these resources for granted. I didn’t comprehend how significant the issue is until I joined the Atlanta chapter organization, Days for Girls, an initiative to help supply women with reusable sanitary napkins.
The Days for Girls organization started in 2008 as an initiative to provide young girls and women from an orphanage in Nairobi, Africa, with sanitary napkins. The girls and women at the time had no access to disposable sanitary napkins, so they often sat in their rooms on cardboard boxes for several days each month during their menstrual cycles. The founder, Celeste Mergens, soon after formed the idea of creating reusable and washable sanitary napkins.
I joined the Atlanta chapter of the organization in 2016 and have enjoyed it ever since. I feel very strongly about the topic because, after some research, I’ve realized that this project has not only benefitted women in Africa but also women in over 125 countries over the entire world. Although this is a great solution for women who don’t have the resources, this also made me ponder how environmentally safe these reusable napkins are.
Reusable sanitary napkins are resourceful and affordable, but the significance they have on the environment has not been formally addressed. So, my group and I have thought about presenting a project about how these napkins are not only great for women but also sustainable for the Earth.
Disposable sanitary napkins are made of plastics and adhesives that pollute the Earth after they are thrown away. Research has shown that plastics already takes about 450 years to biodegrade, so adding more plastic waste to the already present abundance is a horrible idea. America and other countries are notorious for the amount of plastic waste produced within a year. Reusable sanitary napkins would cut down this amount of plastic waste.
Not only would this be beneficial to the environment, but it also would save millions of dollars for the production cost of disposable sanitary napkins, and of women who buy these disposable products. This solution would positively affect one problem after another: feminine hygiene, affordable cost, less plastic waste, and a healthier planet.
I believe this is such a unique and effective idea, yet very few people have heard about it or are even fully aware of the issue. With this topic, I’m sure our project will educate many people and possibly even urge people to join or support the initiative. Hopefully, we can one day also move past the stigma that is held against feminine hygiene care, the thought that it is gross and uncomfortable or an inappropriate topic to discuss. The lives of many girls and women have been positively affected and hopefully, in the future, the number will continue to increase!
The Days for Girls website
