feminine health
Women and girls’ menstrual health matters. Period.
We make reusable sanitary kits. Part crafted with Mayamiko’s Fashion Lab off-cuts, they are distributed to girls and women through partner organisations, alongside feminine health education.
The problem
Did you know that girls can miss out up to 4 days of education a month because they don't have access to feminine health products? This is sometimes referred to as 'period poverty', and happens to women all over the world. We believe that no one should be disadvantaged by their body’s natural cycle. With many taboos still surrounding women’s health, a lack of related education in communities, and the cost of sanitary products, girls have limited access to safe and hygienic options. This problem also affects women post-partum and older women.
The SOLUTION
After discussing this issue with many women in the community, we decided to do something about this. We co-designed reusable sanitary kits, or Positive Pads as we call them, part crafted from scrap fabric from the Mayamiko workshop to help provide comfortable options for girls and women on their period, while also allowing Mayamiko The Label reach their zero waste goals.
With only £2.00 you can pay for a reusable pad which will make a real difference to a girl’s life, made with love and care by the Mayamiko ladies.
2000+
sanitary pads have been distributed to girls and women living in refugee camps and our communities within the last year.
OUR PARTNERS
We partnered with two amazing organisations active in the refugee context in Greece, The Unmentionables and Amurtel Greece, who work with girls and women to promote feminine education, sexual and maternal health in the camps, where they are particularly vulnerable and it is typically difficult to access feminine products. The image blow shows two community educators, both ladies are refugees themselves that went through our intensive six weeks sexual and reproductive health training. They are now teaching daily in the centre as paid employees to help improve living conditions and educate people, including on how to use and care for our pads.
We provided them with reusable pads to distribute alongside their awareness programmes. In 2019 we also delivered pads to There is Hope Malawi, an organisation that works to empower refugees in the local camp at Dzaleka.
We have also donated hundreds of pads to We Care Youth, a Malawi based organisation who works with out of school, orphan and vulnerable girls, sharing resources and promoting feminine health education, as well as Grace of God orphanage.
“Thanks to the generosity of our Mayamiko Trust and Mayamiko the fashion label supporters, the money to make and ship the first batch of pads has been raised! Our first batch has now arrived at the refugee camp in Greece and has been distributed to those in need!”
“Women have been interested by the pads. We explained that it was a really good way to save money and to reduce waste. We explained them how to wash it and dry it. We use the leaflet in their own language, this is really useful. Please send more! ”
Access Feminine Health Resources
With the help of our community, we have also created a simple and powerful leaflet to distribute alongside the pads, and a longer version with additional educators notes available in English, Chichewa, Arabic and Greek. you can access them via the Download Resources button.
You can also visit the Learning Zone for additional educational materials.
If you would like to help us translate these resources so we can reach more girls, please get in touch.
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