Firstly I would like to thank the beautiful ladies who first introduced me to Days For Girls and the idea of reusable pads Barb, Cecile and Nancy.
For many women and girls here, pads are a luxury far out of reach. Not only are they expensive, but buying enough to last them is usually not an option. Young girls who get their period often deal with a lot of shame surrounding it and due to not being able to afford pads they miss school or work. This is obviously harmful in the long run, and leads to many having long absences from school and consequently struggling with their education. For vulnerable young girls they can even fall into the trap of having men in the village purchase pads for them in exchange for sex.
For pregnant women they have the additional issue of a heavy and prolonged period following delivery and with a new baby on board, pads are not very accessible.
We give out heavy flow reusable pad packs at our medical outreaches to expectant mothers. These contain 2 shields and 8 liners which can be combined to handle a heavy flow. These pads can last up to 3 years and used anytime - not only post pregnancy. These pads give women the freedom to go about their lives, dignity and reassurance that they don't have to miss out on that time of the month.
For more information on Days For Girls and the work they do see their website.