dignity project

Who would have thought that a simple and natural bodily function would impact a girl’s entire future? Menstruation in a third world country is a drastically different affair to the western equivalent.  Girls are not provided with education about their cycle, and often resort to leaves, rags or sand as sanitary aids.

In Mozambique, “that time of the month” is a time when a woman should remain invisible. It is certainly not a time when she should be present in the community. It is considered dirty and contaminating, and it results in a quarter of annual education LOST for a female.  This adds to the inequality experienced daily.

We decided to make a difference and provide re-usable sanitary pads to girls together with an educational program that teaches them about hygiene and their menstrual cycle.

We are also working on teaching the girls to make their own products so that they can start their own micro-business, and continue to make a positive impact by assisting other girls.

The problems we face is supplying sewing equipment, which does not rely on electricity, material, thread and so forth. What’s easy here in Australia, is often impossible in Mozambique!  If you have a contact in that area, please reach out to us.

Take a look at our project in action here!