REUSABLE CARE CREATIONS
In 2016 we had the brilliant idea of introducing Reusable Care Creations, which are environmentally friendly and cost effective. We are thinking of washable diapers for babies and toddlers, adult diapers and female hygiene products,
which is what we started with…
About Reusable Care Creations
Schoolgirls in Ghana who can’t afford to buy disposable sanitary pads miss five days of school per month on average.
That’s three months a year! This means they fall behind in a way they can never catch up.
Many women who can’t afford to buy sanitary towels can’t go to work during their period, which means they miss out on income.
Also, disposable sanitary towels have a huge impact on the environment.
The project goals are:
• To introduce washable sanitary products like washable sanitary towels, washable nappies for children and washable nappies for adults, and to distribute them and make them easily accessible to large target groups in Ghana.
• To reduce taboos surrounding personal hygiene and to reduce the reluctance to use sanitary products.
• To reduce physical and social limitations people are subject to due to the lack of good sanitary products.
• To reduce the environmental impact of disposable nappies and sanitary towels.
• To offer women with a physical disability the chance to participate fully and equally in society by giving them a job that allows them to use their knowledge and skills of sewing and to improve their own lives and futures.
Women All Should Have pads…
After much research, experimenting and testing we came up with a model of washable sanitary towels we are very happy with. The feedback from test users is very positive, and they can be produced in our workshop. They are partly
made from the left-over unbleached cotton we use for our New Cooking Bags. They are not expensive and highly cost-effective in use.
We call them WASHpad, which stands for Women All Should Have pad…
Because not all menstruations are the same, we handle 4 different sizes of pads. They come with a pouch to store and carry used pads. This way they are easy to take home, where they can then be washed to be re-used.
Education
Wherever we provide education, we bring our beautiful banner with us, made by Simcha van der Veen. It has been photographed over and over again and these kinds of initiatives will support us in conveying our message.