- Herstory
- Pads4Girls Kits and Cash Donations
- In-kind Donations by Lunapads
- Fundraising Products
- Handmade Pad Donations
- Impact
- Distribution Groups
- Other Groups and Resources
- Make a Donation
Herstory
Lunapads has been sending pads as donations to women and girls in developing nations since 2000, when we were contacted by Zimbabwean/Canadian activist Isabella Wright. She informed us that girls and women had little or nothing to help them manage their menses, and as a result were missing school or work rather than risking discomfort or ridicule. The effect of these missed days is devastating, with girls missing up to 20% of their education and thereby increasing the likelihood of dropping out, earlier marriage and pregnancy as well as limiting career options. Since that time, we have received and fulfilled similar requests from individuals and NGOs in numerous other African nations as well as Mexico and South and Central America.
General awareness of this issue received an immense boost in 2007 when Procter & Gamble’s Always brand launched the “Protecting Futures” campaign, featuring a series of television ads depicting African schoolgirls with the caption “There are lots of reasons kids miss school. Being a girl shouldn’t be one of them.” Critics immediately pointed out that providing girls with disposable pads would create a waste problem in communities that have no landfill or incineration capacity, and further would not be sustainable following the program’s conclusion after 2012, its stated end date. Either way, Protecting Futures brought awareness of the problem to a mass level, and resulted in a substantial increase in requests for Lunapads donations.
In February 2008 Green blogger Deanna Duke (aka Crunchy Chicken) launched the Goods4Girls program in response to the Protecting Futures campaign, recruiting Lunapads as well as numerous other companies and individuals to contribute pad donations. In January of 2009, however, she realized that she lacked the resources to effectively manage the program’s growing success and regretfully discontinued it. In early 2009, we decided to formalize our donations and the outreach Lunapads had been doing by calling it Pads4Girls, in homage to the Goods4Girls legacy. Click here to watch our Pads4Girls video.
Today, Pads4Girls operates in the following ways --
Pads4Girls Kits and Cash Donations
Lunapads offers cost-priced donation kits containing an assortment of Lunapads and underwear (many girls don’t have any) and carry-purse for purchase by our customers, allowing them to choose a designated recipient group. The ongoing “pool” of recipient groups can use their own outreach to direct their supporters to the Donate section of our site. There they can make a cash donation towards the group of their choice. Donations go towards Pads4Girls Kits which are forwarded by Lunapads to the recipient groups for distribution via their networks.
In-kind Donations by Lunapads
We regularly donate our time and business expertise to groups seeking to support the development of pad-making business ventures. To this end we “donate” proprietary trade information and provide ongoing mentorship to groups including AFRIpads in Kenya.
Lunapads also regularly donates factory seconds to Pads4Girls recipient groups, local shelters and women's organizations.
Fundraising Products
We donate 100% of sales proceeds from our popular 28 page booklet: Happier Periods, Naturally! The Lunapads Guide to Natural Cycles for Girls and Teens to Pads4Girls.
Handmade Pad Donations
Thanks to our extensive network of recipient groups and individuals, we regularly accept donated handmade pads and pass them along to groups alongside donated Pads4Girls kits. We have created a novel series of instructional videos (watch part 1, watch part 2) demonstrating how to make washable pads by hand or machine. A basic, envelope-style pad pattern (not Lunapads) is here. Please email pads4girls@lunapads.com for more information.
Impact
Since its inception, in partnership with dozens of groups, individuals and NGOs, Lunapads has provided over 2,000 girls and women in 15 nations with thousands of menstrual pads or underwear, giving them an immediate, essential and sustainable means to remain in school or at work. In 2012 we plan to further develop and refine our Pads4Girls program that will include formalizing a commitment to donate a certain percentage of sales or profits (through a combination of in-kind product donations and cash donations) for the benefit of Pads4Girls program recipients
To read about the impact Pads4Girls has had please visit our blog.
Distribution Groups
Pads4Girls has partnered with many different groups over the years to bring washable cloth pads to girls and women in the developing world, including:
- AfriPads Uganda
- Children's Future International Cambodia
- Empower Women in Africa Namibia
- My Arms Wide Open South Africa
- Haitian Support: Bodarie School Haiti
- Imagine1Day Ethiopia
- Lugari Community Center Kenya
- Mariposa DR Dominican Republic
- Midwives for Haiti
- Pads for Prisons Project Sudan
- Project Thrive Days for Girls
- Rabondo Community Project Kenya
- Sexual Rights Center Zimbabwe
- Shanti Uganda Society
Other Groups and Resources
- Sustainable Health Enterprises Rwanda
- Huru International Kenya
