Saturday, February 14, 2015

You Can Make a Difference




Did you know girls in many third world countries miss a week of
school each month because they lack access to feminine hygiene products?
 Handmade cloth feminine pads that are both washable and re-usable, 
can provide girls with dignity to continue their education.
A quality education is one of the few hopes these girls have
to rise above extreme poverty.

Since the earthquake of 2010, teams of medical volunteers have been traveling to Haiti
to conduct feminine hygiene education classes at the eight Christian schools
sponsored by Mission Possible. For the past two years, Sew*Quilt*Share
has been partnering with other churches and community organizations to
sew cloth feminine pads that can be assembled into "feminine hygiene kits"
for female students.




Along with basic hygiene information, 
each kit contains:
2 bars of soap, 3 pair of underwear,
100 ibuprofen tablets, 5 safety pins, and 10 cloth feminine pads.





                   
By sharing the procedures our group uses to produce the cloth feminine pads, 
we hope to inspire others to sew for this wonderful cause.



100% cotton flannel is purchased and cut into one yard pieces.




100% cotton batting is purchased, usually by the roll, and cut into 
more manageable 8.5" strips.




Flannel and batting are placed into a gallon size ziploc bag
to form a "kit" that can easily be distributed. This is a great place
to plug in volunteers who lack sewing skills. Several life groups
in our church have met to cut pads as a service project.





The pad pattern is traced onto the flannel fabric and cut out.
The pattern can be found here.


The lining pattern is traced onto the cotton batting and cut.



A total of 20 flannel pieces and 40 cotton batting pieces (enough to make 10 pads) 
are placed back into the ziploc bag, along with a set of instructions
This forms a "sewing kit" which can easily be passed onto those
who will sew the pads together. 




 
                                                                                       

Once the pads are sewn together they are packed into boxes 
and passed along with a prayer of blessing.




The boxes travel a few miles away to our friends at 



Pads from sewing groups like ours, are gathered throughout the year
and then assembled by volunteers into the feminine hygiene kits.





Here are a few of the kits ready for shipment to Haiti. 
Nice job ladies!



Once the feminine hygiene kits arrive in Haiti teams of medical volunteers 
conduct classes to help educate girls about menstrual cycles and proper body care. 
The kits provide girls with information and supplies that will enable them 
to attend school 45 more days each year. 
In 2014, over 5,000 cloth feminine pads were donated for this project. 



The hope is to expand the outreach allowing more girls
to receive a quality education and learn about the love of Jesus.

Please visit these links to learn how You Can Make a Difference!


May you always Sew in Peace!

55 comments:

  1. You are a blessing to these young girls. Our YW's group makes these kits for girls in Africa, where concealing the time of month/maturity it is is a safety issue.
    God bless the hands that make and the girls that receive.

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  2. Thank you for sharing this wonderful idea!
    I would love to do the same for our group.
    Bless all the people behind this project.

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  3. May God continue to bless you as you bless others!

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  4. Thank you all! Blessing to you as well:)

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  5. It is so nice to hear about these kind of efforts. Please keep up the great work!

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  6. Are you still doing this project? I would love to get a group together. Please contact me at katrinaziemer@gmail.com with a few more details (such as shipping and such and I would love to get involved.

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    Replies
    1. Hi, did you by any chance ever get that info? I would like to do this with my girl scout troop.

      Delete
  7. I wonder if high-absorbent microfiber cloths would work better than batting? Like these:

    http://smile.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Microfiber-Cleaning-Cloth-Pack/dp/B009FUFCDQ?ie=UTF8&keywords=microfiber%20cloth&qid=1465268101&ref_=sr_1_11&sr=8-11

    Also there is a reusable product called the "Diva Cup" or other silicone menstrual cups that could be distributed:

    http://smile.amazon.com/Diva-Cup-Childbirth-Packaging-Vary/dp/B000FAG6X0?ie=UTF8&keywords=diva%20cup&qid=1465268432&ref_=sr_1_2_s_it&s=hpc&sr=1-2

    Hope those ideas are helpful!

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  8. I would love to know if you are still doing this? And if so can you contact me at shootingsadr@yahoo.com. I love sewing and am now making these for myself. Blessings Lisa

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  9. i made these for our operation christmas child boxes last month. i would love to send hygiene kits. where do i send them?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Completed pads and hygiene kits can be mailed to:

      Sew*Quilt*Share
      c/o Gateway Church
      9555 County Road 9
      Findlay, OH 45840

      Delete
  10. Hello, I am setting up a team to work on this project. Where are you sending the pads and how do you get them there? Do you have certain contacts in other countries? I am considering asking people who travel to take an extra bag and locating a school/orphanage or church to give them to. One of my concerns is that the pads are not being sold for profit once they leave our hands
    . How do you deal with this? Thanks so much for all you are doing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The pads our church collects are donated to Mission Possible located in Findlay, Ohio. Mission Possible ships the hygiene kits to Haiti and is in charge of distribution. Part of the beauty of this ministry is that a network is in place to provide education and medical care for the recipients.

      Delete
  11. Hello Sandra,
    I would also like to help.
    I was wondering, do they have to be this exact design? May i do a similar concept with the same dimensions and materials?
    Sincerely,
    Stephanie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Great question! The same concept with a similar design would be fine.

      Delete
  12. Hello, I would like to do this project too. I was wondering if I find it difficult to sew (I rarely sew but I'd like to try), could I cut the pieces out and put them in gallon sized bags like the blog said and send to you? My email is heater723@hotmail.com

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  13. How absorbant is the cotton batting? No pul or waterproof item? Also, do you have to wash the batting before use? Will it absorb without washing? Clearly I'm new to this material. Thank you

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    Replies
    1. At this point, we are using 100% cotton batting since it is breathable. We are not recommending the use of PUL at this time. The students must wash and dry the pads, then sanitize the pads with a hot iron to kill germs. PUL has the potential to melt and then the pad would be useless. We do not prewash the batting and have not had an issue lack of being absorbent. Great questions!

      Delete
  14. It looks like the pads have a snap or something on the pieces that fold in. Can you tell me what that is or send me more detailed instructions. I have a group that may be interested in doing some. Thanks

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    Replies
    1. The students actually prefer using safety pins, so our group no longer takes the effort to attach snaps.

      Delete
  15. Sandra, i just stumbled on your site and id love to make some ......is all this info updated to now so as i dont send them to never never land?..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Completed pads can be sent to:

      Sew Quilt Share
      c/o Gateway Church
      9555 County Road 9
      Findlay, OH 45840

      You can find more information on our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/SewQuiltShare

      Delete
  16. I wish I could buy some of these to include in my Christmas shoeboxes!

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  17. I would check with a Dr 2 c about the dyes in the fabric & whether it could possibly cause UITs 4 these young women. Just sayin'

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for your concern. This pattern was created with the blessing of the medical team that oversees this project in Haiti. In order to receive the cloth pads, students must attend classes where they learn how to care for their bodies, as well as how to wash and care for the pads.

      Delete
    2. Good morning,am a fresh graduate and Ave had the passion towards the girl child project even before I graduated, I will love to know how I can start up a project like this here in my country, the price of sanitary pad is on the rise and making it hard for the girl child to attend school and be confident in school and the society.
      Thank you

      Delete
  18. Is this still an open, ongoing project? I would like to start a group at my church to make these.

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  19. Are there any churches in Minnesota that are involved in this project? I am looking to participate.

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    1. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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    2. Hi, I am also in MN, central MN, and would love to make a bunch of these to donate. Are you already done participating?

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  20. Im a girl scout troop leader and i would like to have my girls participate in this project, i have other troops wanting to participate. Can you please email me measurements and detailed instructions to gstroopleader71024@yahoo.com. Thank you

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  21. Are you still collecting these reusable pads?

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  22. Is this an on going project? I have lots of free time to sew and love to help the young girls out.

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  23. Can I use a different style wing just slightly different ? ksweed3@yahoo.com

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  24. A different style of wing is not an issue. Thanks for asking.

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  25. Hello, I would love to help with this project. I can be reached at lizimb@yahoo.com. Thank you so much

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  26. This is just wonderful. I will be looking into participating in the project. A sample of fabric would be good so I can purchase same.God bless you all.

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  27. Wondering if there is a special washing instruction. Would love to donate some of these with an instruction sheet.

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    Replies
    1. Sorry we do not have a printed instruction sheet as our kits our given to each student within a classroom setting.

      Delete
  28. Hi Sandra - Should the fabric be pre-washed before cutting to avoid shrinkage?

    Thanks!

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    Replies
    1. It is not necessary to prewash fabric since it will be washed by hand and not dried in a clothes dryer.

      Delete
  29. Interested in knowing if you are still doing this project. Do the outside edges need to be surged. pls let me know sharon.beasley46@mail.com

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  30. Thank you Sandra, this is something my younger daughter and I can make. Where is the pattern please.

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    Replies
    1. The pattern is available near the top of this page on the right hand side. Look for the box that says "Cloth Feminine Pad Tutorial", It is outlined in green. Once you open that link, the pattern and tips are available to download.

      Delete
  31. Good morning,am a fresh graduate and Ave had the passion towards the girl child project even before I graduated, I will love to know how I can start up a project like this here in my country, the price of sanitary pad is on the rise and making it hard for the girl child to attend school and be confident in school and the society.
    Thank you

    ReplyDelete
  32. how wonderful, is the pattern avalible?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The pattern is available near the top of this page on the right hand side. Look for the box that says "Cloth Feminine Pad Tutorial", It is outlined in green. Once you open that link, the pattern and tips are available to download.

      Delete
  33. Hi I am in UK and I want to use the idea and pattern for a project we have started through a charity called Period Power. We are wanting to supply girls and women in the UK with reusable period products as well as knickers. Do you make the knickers or buy them in? If you buy them where do you get them from. I have found them too expensive as we are giving our products FREE to all those girls and women living in period poverty in the UK. SO We are making the knickers too. I also work as a volunteer for Sew Powerful and have been for over 5 yrs. Team GB for Sew Powerful make bags for girls in Zambia ready to be filled with the period products they need.

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  34. Hello, I’m Dayse, and I’m a missionary in Angola, I would like to now if this project continues and if maybe it’s possible we make a partnership, we have been working here since 2009 with 280 kids, teenagers and their families and we really need help in this area, the girls here don’t have enough money to buy pads, and we really want to help them, we have sewing machines but no materials to work with.
    Please send me a email daysevarao@gmail.com
    our Instagram @familiavaraoafrica

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  35. Please I am in Ghana and I want to participate in this , To help girls in my country, I am a fashion designer , how do I get the fabrics and pattern so I can start sewing them. I can also organize people to see , if only I get the sewing kits and tools

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  36. I'm Esther from Ghana

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  37. Are you still doing this project? Would love to learn more

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Thank you for taking the time to stop by and leave a comment! I appreciate hearing from you!