Not just a piece of cloth - Sanitary Pads for the poor

When the monthly period comes, most of us ladies just reach out for a pre-packed Laurier or Modess (in the old days) to handle Nature's 'gift' (or plaque, to some). But in times of disaster, as flood or the recent earthquake in Japan, I sympathise with those who have already gone through the trauma of losing all their belongings & even loved ones, but to also had to suffer the trauma and indignity of this 'natural' occurence. It's unthinkable, which is why I tried to offer a little comfort by organising to send their 'valuable' commodity to the quake victims via CREST (a crisis relief group) recently through my group.

Now I just read in yesterday's Star paper that the similar fate is faced by millions of  under-privileged women in India (everywhere as poverty has no boundaries) and it's worse! They have been facing it ALL their lives (since puberty, of course). When they are too poor to buy commercial sanitary pads, what's the alternative? -- dirty rags, ash, sand and cocunut husk!! Ouch... So sad :((

But luckily, there is an NGO that collects old cloth/clothes from the rich and re-process it into cheap, sanitary pads. Another example of RE-CYCLING, creation of JOB OPPORTUNITIES, maintaining gynaecological HEALTH and DIGNITY.

Here's some excepts of the article :

In such a bleak scenario – whereby government spending on health is barely 2% of its GDP while defence expenditure is 17% – non-governmental organisations (NGOs) like Goonj are a godsend. The New Delhi-based outfit, launched by founder Anshu Gupta in 1998, collects unused clothes from rich, urban households to manufacture, among other things, cheap sanitary napkins for the poor. Priced at Rs5 (approx 30 sen) for a pack of five, these innovative aids provide a dignified solution to a traumatic personal problem for underprivileged women.


“Menstrual hygiene is one of the most neglected and least discussed topics in rural India,” says Dr Himanshi Behl, a Delhi-based obstetrician. “Millions of women use sand, wood ash, old rags, newspapers and even plastic bags due to their inability to afford commercially available sanitary pads.”

.....Napkin preparation is a systematic though laborious process. Cloth received from donors is first soaked in water for one night and then washed with antiseptic detergent. It is then dried, and the buttons and chains removed. The cloth is then cut into pieces of uniform size and thickness. The cut pieces are ironed to remove the remaining moisture. A magnet is run over the pieces to ensure no sharp objects are left behind. These are then packed in newspaper bags, which are also made by Goonj. The napkins are now ready to be distributed.
Each set of napkins has three parts: a waist-string, a small absorbent pad and a palm-wide strip to hold the padding in place while its ends are tucked under the waist-string. Ten sets are packed with care into a drawstring pouch for a women to receive without embarrassment.
The NGO’s volunteers hold meetings in villages across India and sensitise them about health and hygiene issues.....

OTHER VENTURES OF GOONJ
Overall, the mass participation of housewives, professionals, schools, collages, corporates, exporters, hotels and hospitals behind Goonj’s recycling and distribution centres helps to send out over 50,000kg of recycled waste materials every single month! A vast network of more than 250 grassroots agencies are also helping Goonj – which means “echo” in Hindi – reach parts of 21 states of India.


The NGO also has a repertoire of products made from waste materials. For instance, it makes backpacks from torn jeans, mobile pouches from ties, skipping ropes from saris and balls from sofa cushions...

http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2011/6/27/lifefocus/8751288&sec=lifefocus


SIDEBAR :  I was at a craft bazaar not so long ago and a girl was trying to sell me her home-made sanitary pads, made from new, cutely printed cotton at a premium price. Her marketing pitch :  It's washable, re-usable and cleaner!   ...  With a raised eyebrow and weak smile I said - thanks, but no thanks. But apparently in certain religions, you are suppose to wash away the stains before disposing a used sanitary pad...or in this case re-using it.

It's been a long-time since i sewed but i still appreciate this technique of how to sew a dart on the bodice of a blouse without the distorting the print on the cloth. Image a fabric with bird motives and the dart runs through the motif and the bird may lose it's head!

One way to solve this would be to move the dart slightly but that may result in fitting problems. Another way is shown in this tutorial.   http://knotsinthread.blogspot.com/2012/04/shaping-vintage-textiles.html
She snips around the motif and applique that part on top of the dart. Ingenious but only if the fabric does fray easily and workmanship must be delicate.
 

Dont 'buy any clothes for 1 year?

Malaysians love their mall! They love window shopping & buying clothes. I've talked to young adults whose only criteria for buying clothes is 'They like it". No consideration for price or necessity.Many do not know about fit or workmanship. As long as they look fashionable, it's ok!  Even many boutiques carry low quality clothes. The kind that have 'curry-puff' hemlines (sewing so bad that the hem curls to one side). I have complained to shop assistants to no avail....

And with the availability of cheap clothes (&bags & shoes) flooding the market, it's so easy for one to keep buying, & buying!, yours truly included.  My closet's practically packed & 2nd one on the way. But i have one excuse. I cant part with my old clothes to make way for new. Shopping has been such an experience that each item i buy or have worn has a memory attached. Hence the overflow! And wth fluctuating waistline & weather, i have to hold back certain clothes until i can get into them comfortably again. Some fabrics r just not made for our sunny, sweaty weather. Then there's clothes for weekend outings / formal functions / arty events / gym / travelling / stormy weather / business meetings / ...list goes on..

So i read with interest the following article..

Since last September, a group of women have been on a fashion fast, refusing to buy any article of clothing for 12 months. What have they learned so far from The Great American Apparel Diet, as the experiment’s called? 

Read more: http://moneyland.time.com/2010/02/03/qa-the-year-of-no-clothing-purchases/#ixzz1pRA1IVd9

Also check out this for MINIMALIST SHOPPING- ULTRA 10
 http://www.fastcoexist.com/1679460/ultra-10-a-years-worth-of-outfits-in-just-10-pieces-of-clothing

Tutorial - re-fashion 2 tees into a long swing cardigan

This tutorial is by Urban Threads, found in this website http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-Drape-Cardigan-from-Two-Shirts/