A small team in the island is making a big difference by sewing washable period pads for young girls and women in developing countries.

Led by Douglas seamstress Jenny James, the volunteers spend one day a month creating colourful cotton period pads as part of the Days For Girls International (DFG) charity.

The initiative provides kits that contain washable shields, absorbent liners, a cleaning cloth, soap, underwear, zip lock bags, instructions and an educational booklet in a number of languages to women in places like Nepal or Kenya.

The packs are designed to be ’beautiful’, Jenny said, to make each user feel special, help them maintain their dignity and break down the taboo surrounding periods.

’DFGs was founded in 2008 by a lady called Celeste Mergens. She had been in Kenya helping an orphanage and due to the post election violence there, the population of the orphanage exploded,’ Jenny said.

’She began to notice some of the girls were missing at times and wondered what was happening. She realised there were no sanitary products available to them and they were staying in their rooms during their period.

’They would sit on cardboard for several days and would often go without food unless someone brought it to them. Some of the girls would use old fabric or corn husks which was increasing the risk of infection and damaging themselves.’

The charity’s work was brought to Jenny’s attention when she attended a women’s evening with a talk by Hannah Grove (see the Manx Independent, January 23).

’It never occurred to me women couldn’t buy sanitary pads,’ she said.

Researching further, she decided to go on one of the charity’s expeditions to Nepal in 2016 where she met women from all across the globe making packs and trekking into the isolated communities to help deliver them.

Periods are taboo in Nepal. Women and girls would have formerly been exiled to Chhaupadi huts - now an illegal practice - which prohibited them from participating in normal family activities while menstruating as it was seen as ’impure’.

Jenny said it was ’amazing’ to be a part of the work that helped educate women about the menstrual cycle and encouraging them to spread this information. ’When you know better, you do better,’ she said.

She later went to Cambodia to help the charity before coming back to the island and starting up a team while giving talks at high schools and church groups. ’Even if it’s a small effort, it’s still an effort made,’ she said.

February will mark two years since the island group was set up.

’We have two consistent workers and are always looking for new members,’ she said. ’Sewing skills aren’t essential. The project covers so many skills such as cutting, washing, fundraising... but we can teach how to sew.’

DFG has plans to make the kits - which cost about $10 each - plastic-free with the charity already doing its best to introduce as little waste as possible to the countries it supports.

It is also sensitive to the cultures and religions of the countries it supports and has an enterprise programme which supports local women in delivering education on the subject or sell the kits to make a living.

See www.daysforgirls.org/ about the charity or search @reapwhatyousewtradingco for upcoming events in the island.