400 pairs of period underwear to The Gambia: three organisations tackle period poverty
Contano, Moi et Marie and comma combine their expertise for a pilot project on period poverty in Basse
No less than 27% of girls in Basse miss school days because of menstruation. Together, we want to change that. On 10 September, Rita Vancoillie, chair of non-profit organisation Contano, will travel to The Gambia again. This time, with some striking contents in her luggage: 400 pairs of period underwear from the Veurne-based brand Moi et Marie. The underwear forms the starting point of our pilot project on period poverty. In Basse, three groups of girls will use different menstrual solutions.
This way, we will investigate which solution best fits their daily reality, in a region where access to menstrual products is limited and menstruation is still strongly taboo. To do this, we are combining the expertise of three organisations: Contano, Moi et Marie and strategic marketing agency comma.
Period poverty keeps girls in Basse out of school
Anyone who works with girls and women in Basse quickly notices that menstruation is still strongly taboo. It is rarely talked about. Not at home, not at school and not among friends. And what you do not talk about is difficult to solve. When girls do not have a suitable menstrual product during their period, they stay at home. A few days a month may not seem like much, but over a full school year, it quickly adds up.
For their education and knowledge, but also for their self-confidence and opportunities.
“Girls miss school days every month because they have nothing to use. Precisely because it is not talked about, nothing changes either. That is why we set up a team in Basse in which final-year students at St. John’s School for the Deaf make washable sanitary pads. An experienced seamstress, our social worker and the school principal guide them. But menstrual products alone will not solve the problem. Awareness is crucial too.”
— Rita Vancoillie, chair of Contano
How Contano, Moi et Marie and Comma found each other
Comma has been supporting Contano for some time as part of its social commitment. The strategic marketing agency contributed to Contano’s positioning, website and photography and also acts as a strategic sounding board to increase the organisation’s impact.
When period poverty in Basse came up during one of the conversations, Greetje Demuelenaere from comma immediately made the connection with Charlotte Therssen from Moi et Marie, whom she knew from the jury of the WOMED Award. With Moi et Marie in Veurne, Charlotte develops reusable period underwear.
“Our underwear is washable and lasts for years. For a girl in Basse, that means: one solution once, and no more monthly cost afterwards. But a product alone does not break a taboo. That is why I find it so valuable that this project is supported by the schools and by people who have been present there for years. I am incredibly curious about what we are going to learn.”
— Charlotte Therssen, founder of Moi et Marie
In July, the three of us sat around the table together for the first time. A few weeks later, four hundred pairs of period underwear were ready to be taken to The Gambia. That is how quickly things can move when the right people find each other.
Testing period underwear and other menstrual solutions in Basse
We are deliberately not approaching this as a one-off distribution campaign. Together with St. Joseph School in Basse, we are following three groups of girls:
- Group 1: 20 girls use the locally made, washable sanitary pads
- Group 2: 200 girls wear the period underwear from Moi et Marie
- Group 3: A comparison group currently has neither of the two solutions
Social Work and Applied Psychology students from VIVES University of Applied Sciences do internships in The Gambia through Contano and give us a hand by helping to monitor the experiences and results of the three groups.
This way, we learn not only what works, but also what works best in the reality of Basse: what is feasible to wash, what is comfortable, what is affordable, and what can we eventually make ourselves here? Based on that, we will look at how the most suitable approach can be developed further and embedded locally, including through local production and awareness-raising in schools. Over the coming months, we will share what we learn, see and hear in Basse. Feel free to share this story further.
Because the more we make period poverty open for discussion, the greater the impact.
Over the coming months, we will share what we learn, see and hear in Basse. Feel free to share this story further. Because the more we make period poverty open for discussion, the greater the impact.
