Five-year Reusable Pads: Saves Money, Environment and Dignity!

Just a few days before International Menstrual Hygiene Day, commemorated every year on May 28, The Samburu Project, in collaboration with PadMad, organized a workshop in Tintil village, Samburu County. The goal was to educate women and girls about menstrual hygiene and provide them with reusable sanitary towels.

After a long and extremely bumpy drive, we finally arrived in Tintil village. Among the more than 75 women who attended the menstrual hygiene workshop was Nairik Lukupanai. She could not recall her exact date of birth and had never used a sanitary towel in her entire life. Like many other girls in Samburu, she had never set foot in a classroom.

She seemed fairly young; her skin looked healthy and her body was still full of energy. Nairik wore big, heavy, and beautifully beaded necklaces around her neck. The long metallic earring on her left ear indicated that she was already married.

When the word “menstruation” was first mentioned, with the help of my translator Sandra Lelemoyog, an intern at The Samburu Project, Nairik became timid and covered her face with her hands. In Samburu County, it is taboo to talk about menstruation, and for most women I interacted with, it was their first time having an open conversation about it.

Nairik Lukupanai, a mother of four, shared her experience of using a piece of cloth during menstruation. She mentioned, “This piece of cloth is usually very uncomfortable, especially during the hot season. I feel itching, and it can fall when I am milking my cows and goats. I also need to walk carefully because it can fall at that time too.” She spoke while feeling shy.

Madhvi Dalal, the founder of PadMad, explained that the itching is caused by infection. She stated, “In hot weather, moisture remains trapped between the private parts, leading to increased yeast or fungus growth and the formation of infections.”

In her previous role as a yoga trainer in Nairobi, Madhvi interacted with girls in the slums who shared their struggles of staying out of school due to period poverty. Motivated by their stories, she started her organization, PadMad, a social business that creates employment for marginalized communities by producing five-year reusable sanitary towels.

The five-year reusable pads are made of comfortable cotton cloth. After use, Madhvi explained that the process of reusing them involves soaking the pad in cold water for about 15 minutes, followed by washing it with a bar soap, rinsing, and sun-drying.

Madhvi takes pride in the fact that reusable pads contribute to saving the environment from pollution. She mentioned, “If I were using disposable pads, I could use up to 11,000 of them in my menstrual lifetime. So far, as an organization, we have already saved 55 million pads that would have ended up in Kenyan landfills.”

An article published by the Royal Society of Chemistry highlighted that disposable period pads contain up to 90% plastic, and tampons contain up to 6% plastic, excluding applicators. Estimates suggest that plastic-based disposable pads can take about 500 to 800 years to break down in landfills, as plastic never truly biodegrades. Tampons also contain plastic in their core, and some come with plastic applicators, exacerbating the problem.

Research by Amref Health Africa revealed that 65% of women and girls in Kenya cannot afford sanitary towels. In light of these statistics, Madhvi emphasized that her organization is focused on ending period poverty, as one kit of reusable sanitary towels can sustain one woman for more than five years.

“For a regular menstruator, if they are using two packets of normal pads, which cost between 60 KES to 80 KES each, they would spend approximately 9,000 KES to 10,000 KES over the course of five years. By using reusable sanitary towels, one female in a household can save that money. If a household has more than one woman or girl, the savings will increase,” Madhvi explained. She further pointed out that for an irregular menstruator who may require more than two packets, the costs may skyrocket.

Samburu County is one of the counties in Northern Kenya facing water scarcity, and the proper reuse of reusable pads requires an adequate supply of clean water. The Samburu Project, whose primary goal is to provide water for the Samburu community, has built 147 wells in Samburu County over the years.

Linda Hooper, the Executive Director at The Samburu Project, emphasized the importance of clean water as a basic amenity for women and girls. She stated, “When our founder came to Samburu, she quickly realized that until you solve the water issue, you couldn’t really address any other issue faced by women and girls.”

Five years ago, The Samburu Project expanded its programs to support the Samburu community in four areas: health, education, women and girls’ empowerment, and community growth.

“I want these women to know that someone in the world cares about them and is willing to provide them with the tools they need to improve their lives. Dealing with monthly periods and not knowing how to manage them is a significant burden, especially here in Samburu,” Linda said. She further insisted that monthly periods are a normal process, and no one should feel embarrassed to discuss them openly.

According to Menstrual Hygiene Day, 42% of women have experienced period shaming, with one in five being made to feel this way due to comments made by male friends.

Nairik Lukupanai falls into these statistics, and it will take more than one workshop for her to embrace her womanhood and break the taboo of not openly discussing menstrual issues.

After receiving intensive training on how to use the pads from Madhvi, each woman received a five-year reusable kit, a bar soap and two pairs of underwear. The expressions on their faces clearly indicated that their lives had taken a positive turn. 

Article by Rose Kawira Nyaga.