Leanne on The Girl Child Movement

Brenna, Anna and I have been doing our activist project at the Children’s Resource Center in Rondebosch.  Specifically, we have been working with the Girl Child Movement, which aims to empower girls by providing a venue for them to come together and discuss the specific challenges that they face as they grow up and mature into women.  The GCM empowers these young women through their educational programs, and then helps them decide how best to take what they learn back into their schools (primary and secondary) and communities.  The girls then facilitate awareness programs on issues such as male dominance, the development of sexuality, the human body, teen pregnancy and substance abuse. 

 Josie, the coordinator of the GCM is absolutely amazing and incredibly enthusiastic about the movement.  She allowed us the opportunity to plan and facilitate a workshop of our choice for 22 high school girls from township communities such as Khayelitsha, Gugulethu and Mitchell’s Plain.  We decided to focus on developing a workshop about the environment and menstruation.  Because nearly 60% of South African women can’t afford access to traditional feminine hygiene products such as disposable pads and tampons, menstruation is tied to social stigma.  Some girls miss school during that time of the month, something that I was shocked and angry about.  Girls should not have to miss school because they have their periods.  I had never before realized what a privilege it is (but shouldn’t be!) to have access to sanitary supplies.

Josie told us that she had considered campaigning for funds or donations of pads and tampons to start a co-operative to make them available to the girls, but she was hesitant to do so because of their affect on the environment – they are not a sustainable solution.  A little research revealed some frightening information:    The average woman uses between 11,000 and 13,000 pads or tampons in her lifetime.  160 million pads and tampons get thrown away in South Africa each year.  Tampon applicators clog sewage system drains and wash up on beaches.  Plastic pad and tampon wrappers do not biodegrade in landfills – they sit there for years.  Also, disposable pads and panty liners are made from wood products which deplete forest resources.  Tampons are made from either cotton, or a cotton and rayon blend.  There are 170 insecticides registered for use on cotton crops; cotton that will eventually find its way inside a woman’s body.  Rayon is no better, as it is also manufactured from wood products.  The bleaching process for tampons involves the use of formaldehyde.  Not to mention, women pay a lot of money for these potentially dangerous products. 

All of the information is definitely a little bit depressing.  What’s a girl to do?  The good news is there are other options that are healthier for women and more sustainable for the environment: reusable pads and menstrual cups.  Reusable pads come in all colors, shapes and sizes.  It is easy to order them online, but even easier to make your own.  I spent the better part of Friday evening sewing one (the holdup was my sewing skills, not the pattern) and also purchased a menstrual cup to give away to one of the young women that was willing to try it out and report back on it. The cups are slightly more of an investment (it’s possible to get them for around $20 but in SA it’s more like R265 or $45), but last for 5 years.  Definitely worth the money.  Cape Town actually has its very own menstrual cup distributor; a local woman named Glenda Tutt is the creator of the MPower cup.  This goes to show that menstrual cups are not a totally new idea here.  They just need a little push to become more mainstream. 

Overall, I think the workshop was as success.  The girls were wonderful – willing to discuss their experiences about the sometimes touchy subject of menstruation and were totally open and interested in learning about the sustainable, reusable solutions.  In fact, they showed interest in attending a follow-up workshop to sew their own reusable pads.  Brenna, Anna and I are in the process of planning it / finding a way to fund the materials.  I should probably also brush up on my sewing skills! 

Anyone that is interested in learning more about reusable pads or menstrual cups, or is wondering where I got my information from, can check out the following links:

 http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/5000/5538.html information about rayon

http://www.wemoon.com.au/enviromentalchoice.html facts about tampons

http://www.mpowercup.co.za/ the MPower cup

http://verticalchallenge.org/goddessmoons/  statistics about pads/tampons; reusable pads