BlogHer - When Tampons Are a Human Rights Issue - Comments

Pro alternative choice

Vanesica — Thu, 20 Jul 2006 00:38:37 -0500

Hi Rachealyra

I had to post again and say that when I discovered an alternative to tampons I too ventured out to let everyone know. Some though think it is disgusting to have to put it in and then dump the blood out. So I would mention washable pads but that too involved too much work. But they in turn were the ones complaining about tampons and how much they irratated them.

Anyhow this is a great cause. I'm so happy to see that so many other women are discovering alternative products to use that are not harmful to themselves or the environment.

cheers!

Emotion Creator
http://jessicadoyle.ca

Keeper / Diva Cup

rachelyra — Tue, 18 Jul 2006 00:36:56 -0500

I first want to say that when I found out about these alternatives a year or so ago I was shocked that nobody had told me about them...and immediately ran out and told all my friends.

The cup does not need to be washed every time you empty it - it can be removed, emptied, and reinserted with no running water use at all. It does need to be cleaned before its first monthly use but boiling water will do this just fine. Even in a drought the amount of water needed for this monthly is pretty insignificant in comparison to the amount needed to sustain a single human life.

Probably not as much a bit of information for the marketing campaign, but I have heard of women watering their plants with their collected blood to great benefit.

I just emailed Diva Cup about the issue; I've emailed them in the past regarding promotional materials of theirs that I am distributing. If I hear any information back I will be sure to pass it along.

Rachel

Medium Reality small business design/production blog

keeper, luna pads

Vanesica — Mon, 17 Jul 2006 16:15:17 -0500

As an avid user of the keeper I would like to say that tampons are the worst thing on earth. The keeper would just be a good idea over there. You can leave it in for up to 12 hours. Tampons are drying, chemical laden and infection causing cotton blockers...

Regardless of being in a third world... the keeper, luna PADS or the diva cup would be a much better economical and healthy choice to be sending them. It is something that would not have to be replaced for 10 years. No garbage.

If you are going to send tampons I hope they are one hundred percent cotton.

I made a post regarding my frustration with tampons. Also I paid $45 three years ago for my keeper. It keeps as it should 50 or so cycles and counting. A pretty decent discussion began.

Another option is the sponge. I agree with Calgal.

~jessica

Emotion Creator
http://jessicadoyle.ca

I posted about this...

Denise — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 09:46:22 -0500

I posted about this on my blog a few months ago, and I made my donation through Luna Pads.

~Denise
Daily Dose of Denise and Fast Times @ Homeschool High

Tampons vs. The Keeper

Jules — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 04:08:09 -0500

The Keeper/Diva Cup is a good alternative, IF you live in a first world country with adequate water & hygiene.

The problem in Zimbabwe is that there isn't adequate water (they are in the middle of a drought), and being a third world country, the standards of hygiene are much lower than what we in the West would consider "clean". If tampons cost half a month's salary, then I imagine that soap is equally as expensive.

Jules

BlogHer Contributing Editor, Australia, New Zealand & Oceania
Dragongirl blog

Possible Alternative to Tampons for Zimbabwe Women

Calgal — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 03:50:21 -0500

I think a product which I happened upon over 5 years ago and continue to use by Keeper company http://www.keeper.com or http://www.divacup.com may be a good economical alternative for the women of Zimbabwe as long as they have access to running water and soap and it makes me wonder if companies such as these might want to get involved in an outreach especially once they read Jules' unbelievable article that deserves followup and maybe a place on http://www.mum.org !

Another product that may be more familiar to readers is the Instead menstrual cup http://www.softcup.com , but I do not recommend it for those living in the harsh conditions described in Zimbabwe since the manufacturer's recommendation is not to reuse them. To me, they seem like a diaphragm and so I have no qualms about washing with hot soapy water and reusing-they work for me at night time for heavy flow times when the Keeper would more likely not contain as well in a reclining position but again, considering the environment of Zimbabwe I do not think it would be as good of a choice as the Keeper/Divacup device.

This product is available as a natural rubber or silicone cup and the best part is, there is nothing that goes into the landfill from using it, no fibers and chemicals that are left behind inside your body from use either, all you do is wash it and reuse!

When you get a new Keeper menstrual cup, you snip the long tab off, use a nail file and buff it to smoothness before using (that tab is not to be confused with a tampon string.)It may take a bit of practice for you to use the cup, generally, on your heavy flow days, best to empty about every 3 hours and on your lightest flow days, you can get by emptying and cleaning it as little as 2 times in a day.

Great post, Dragon Girl

Melinda Casino — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 11:30:32 -0500

Excellent piece on an important issue.

Melinda
Sour Duck

Thank you...

Realist — Wed, 12 Jul 2006 22:40:12 -0500

Dear Madam Jules,
I greatly appreciate your article on the plight of women in Zimbabwe. As the nation struggles through each day, and the government gets more and more deluded, these issues desperately need to be put in the public spotlight.

However, as the crisis deepens the use of toilet paper for any purposes is unlikely, due to the fact that a single sheet of one ply currently costs over $500 Zimbabwean dollars, and stores are constantly running out. A copy of the state owned paper will cost over $100,000 of the local currency. Needless to say, this quite absurd...

When Tampons Are a Human Rights Issue

Jules — Wed, 12 Jul 2006 20:57:39 -0500

Zimbabwe is a country that is spiralling deeper and deeper into crisis, where even basic needs aren't being met.

Earlier this year in May, the London Sunday Times published an article, about the launch of a fundraising campaign called "Dignity. Period!", with the aim of fundraising to buy sanitary products for Zimbabweâ€™s women.

In a country where the minimum wage is Z$6m (Â£17.14) a month, the cost of a box of 20 tampons is Z$3m. â€œWho in their right mind is going to spend half their earnings on tampons? asked Khumalo. â€œAs it is most people can only afford to eat once a day. Women are being forced to choose between their own health and the survival of their family.

This is Zimbabwe has a post about the campaign and article, which also gives details on how you can help, as well as posting updates on just how ludicrous the situation has become, even with international donations:

Just when I think Iâ€™ve heard it all about this utterly ludicrous government, this comes along (via the BBC):

Zimbabweâ€™s government says sanitary towels donated during an international appeal must be quality tested before any duty exemption will be considered.

At the moment Zimbabwean women are forced to use newspaper and toilet paper; those in the rural areas are apparently resorting to leaves and tree bark! And apparently this is leading to infections and illnesses. Has the good zimbabwean government done its duty to Zimbabwean women and quality tested all the newspaper, toilet paper, leaves and bark in the country ..? Of course not! They donâ€™t care about women and the indignity they are having to endure. Wow, this makes me angry!

This issue has been picked up by a number of people in the blogosphere, including Jennifer Warwick at the New Charm School, Jay Sennett, this excellent guest post at Echidne of the Snakes, and this blog entry by Ellie Levenson.

Want to help? Make a donation at this secure site and paste the HTML Code for the button above into your blog to help publicise the campaign (HTML code available from here).

Contributing Editor Jules also blogs at Dragon Girl.