Huffington Post
Meet The Young Malawian Women Tailoring And Selling Reusable Sanitary Pads
Reusable sanitary pads on washing line, Limbe, Malawi, 2016.
From left to right: Schoolgirls Blessings & Tamanda, Luchenza, Malawi, 2016.
Tamanda holds a reusable sanitary pad, Luchenza, Malawi, 2016. The pads are sold for 2,500MK (about $3.50) in “The School Girl Pack” (three pads and a pair of underwear), in and around Luchenza and Blantyre.
Blessings is enthusiastic, especially about the freedom the reusable pads have given her. “I always had to use cloth or something. When I had my period I was worried about going to school. I would stay at home. Now I can go to school and not worry.”.
Tamanda hangs up the pads to dry after washing, Luchenza, Malawi, 2016. Tamanda had to get used to the reusable pads, but now swears by them. “The first time it was difficult. I was not used to wearing them. But once I knew how, I realized that they were good. It is a good solution.” Malawi, 2016.
Tamanda: “In the future, once I have completed my schooling, I would like to go to nursing college. So that I can help other young women. I want to teach them about their health.” Malawi, 2016.
The reusable pads are made by tailoring course graduates who have set up a business close to Green Malata Entrepreneurial training village.
The blackboard, Green Malata Entrepreneurial Training Village, Luchenza, Malawi, 2016. The design of the pads is simple and tailoring students can learn how to make them in a week or two.
written by Priscilla Frank
Sanitary pads might seem like an unlikely subject for a photographer. But in the African country of Malawi, the availability of the basic materials can determine the course of a young girl’s education and change the course of her life.
In Malawi, one of the poorest countries in the world, a single sanitary pad costs roughly a day’s pay. As such, many young women who can’t afford feminine hygiene products turn to makeshift alternatives including rags, banana fibers, mattress foam and toilet paper while on their periods.