For months, I’ve been seeing that commercial for the major name brand of feminine products that promises to donate products to girls in Africa when you buy their brand. Every time I see it, I cringe. Sure, it sounds like a nice thing, but after doing my “For Girls Only” post last year, I can’t help but think that disposable dioxin laden feminine products aren’t such a great gift.
Today, I discovered (by way of Fake Plastic Fish) that a blogger named Crunchy Chicken started a campaign to give girls in Africa eco-friendly and health friendly reusable pads.

Goods 4 Girls was started to seek out donors to sew or purchase new, reusable menstrual pads for donations to areas of Africa where these products are needed most. Providing reusable supplies not only provides a more environmentally friendly alternative for these young women (in areas of adequate water supply for washing), it reduces their dependence on outside aid organizations to continue providing for their monthly needs.

If you know how to sew, you can follow the pattern on the Goods for Girls site to make pads to send in. If you can’t sew, you can purchase pads to donate.