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On May 28, 2014, the UN declared menstrual hygiene a public health issue and a human right.
We know that a person who menstruates goes through about 450 menstrual cycles. This means using 10,000 pads, which would currently cost approximately 6,000 reais.
To meet this basic need, many people use alternative and harmful methods, such as newspaper, paper towels, and even breadcrumbs and cotton.
That is why Rede Asta is launching Mulheres+Renda, a program that will distribute kits containing four pads and a guide on how to use them so they last for three years, helping people in vulnerable situations gain access to dignified menstrual hygiene.
Income for seamstresses affected by the economic crisis
The seamstresses, who have lost their jobs and income, will be responsible for producing the pads and will be paid for their work, thereby increasing their earnings.
But the program goes further. They will be invited to participate in an acceleration journey at Rede Asta's Artisan Business School, where they will receive qualified training and a complete business plan to become production hubs for making and selling reusable pads. They will also be able to join the Pertinho de Casa geolocation platform, a Rede Asta initiative, to showcase their products for free in virtual storefronts, reaching consumers living in their local areas.
Finally, the initiative promotes respect for the environment, since by providing this alternative to combat period poverty, we will prevent tons of new disposable pads from filling up landfills.
The project needs companies and investors to scale up. The dynamic is simple: corporations choose the territory in Brazil where they want to bring the initiative. They provide funds to cover the costs of raw materials for making the pads, payment based on production targets, and the training of the seamstresses at Rede Asta's Artisan Business School.
Mulheres+Renda maps out the seamstresses in the chosen region, recruits local institutional partners, such as city governments and NGOs, and ensures that the pads reach those who need them most.
By December 2022, we aim to raise R$10 million to distribute cloth pads to 161,000 people who menstruate across Brazil, generating R$2.6 million in income for 1,300 seamstresses.
To learn more about the project, please contact us. Shall we join forces?