{"id":236156,"date":"2025-09-18T10:42:28","date_gmt":"2025-09-18T10:42:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/236156\/"},"modified":"2025-09-18T10:42:28","modified_gmt":"2025-09-18T10:42:28","slug":"philly-organization-makes-menstrual-products-to-help-women-worldwide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/236156\/","title":{"rendered":"Philly organization makes menstrual products to help women worldwide"},"content":{"rendered":"

Before disposable pads and other mass-produced menstrual products became the norm, many societies created women\u2019s hygiene products, including reusable cloth pads.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The members of the Philadelphia-based Pan-African Sisterhood Health Initiative, or P.A.S.H.I., get together once a week to recreate these culturally significant products.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A group of as many as 40 volunteers gathers every Wednesday at Grace Baptist Church of Germantown to create the pads, said Tiye Carter, a P.A.S.H.I. board member.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like an assembly line,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s a whole assembly line of people that are doing certain portions, and then it becomes one item. And from there, somebody else takes the pouches and they package them.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Volunteers with different skills sit at tables and perform tasks for their \u201cstation\u201d \u2014 such as cutting, sewing and snapping the pads together. (Violet Comber-Wilen\/Billy Penn)<\/p>\n

Reusable pads aren\u2019t as common or culturally acceptable in the U.S., P.A.S.H.I.\u2019s board president Maisha Sullivan-Ongoza acknowledged. Instead, the group\u2019s work is shared more widely, with women in other parts of the world \u2013 mainly focusing on Africa and the Caribbean.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sullivan-Ongoza came up with the idea for the project after a trip to Africa in 2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe schools [abroad] were saying that they really needed the menstrual products, because the girls miss school\u201d otherwise, she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Upon returning from her trip, Sullivan-Ongoza did some research and found that reusable pads could be a sustainable menstrual resource for women.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI saw that there has been a return to using reusable pads,\u201d she said. \u201cOur ancestors used cloth pads. This is nothing new, but a return to it. So it was kind of a movement of people who were more environmentally conscious. It\u2019s economically better. It\u2019s better for your health. And they don\u2019t have chemicals.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sullivan-Ongoza is also a part of the Sankofa Artisans Guild \u2013 a Philadelphia-based group focusing on all forms of artistic expression and supportive membership. That year, she asked the group to make its annual community service project the production and distribution of reusable pads.<\/p>\n

That initial order was shipped to Imani Education Nursery and Lower Basic School in Gambia, which is led by Francine Fulton, herself a former Philadelphian who is a friend of the organization. It has grown to much more.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re at over 60 or something shipments now, and thousands of pads,\u201d she said. \u201cThis isn\u2019t just to Africa, but also to the Caribbean, South America, and even here in the United States, where we donate the pads.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Push pins on the map show various places in Africa where P.A.S.H.I. has sent its reusable pads. (Violet Comber-Wilen\/Billy Penn)<\/p>\n

The organization\u2019s impact both locally and abroad is also gaining recognition. They were recently nominated for a 2025 SustainPHL award,<\/a> which are likened to \u201cthe Emmys for sustainability.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

A team effort\u00a0<\/p>\n

The reusable pads are made using donated fabric, which often feature bright and colorful patterns.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"A volunteer organizes one of the sets of donated fabric to be cut into a pad shape. (Violet Comber-Wilen\/Billy Penn)<\/p>\n

The pads contain a leak-proof fabric that makes them appropriate for containing menstruation, and can be washed between wears.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Although the cotton fabric is donated by community members, the organization\u2019s \u201cbiggest expense\u201d is the waterproof fabric, Sullivan-Ongoza said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This layer is \u201cessential,\u201d as it allows for leak-proof support. P.A.S.H.I. purchases 50-yard layers of the fabric from Wazoodle Fabrics in Bensalem<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"The \u201cleak-proof\u201d layer is necessary for the pads to work properly. (Violet Comber-Wilen\/Billy Penn)<\/p>\n

Volunteers are mostly female retirees, although one dedicated male volunteer takes part most weeks.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have an average of 25 volunteers every Wednesday, and sometimes we can get up to 40,\u201d she said. \u201cWe have non-sewing jobs, but every job is essential to the completion of a pad, from ironing it on, to turning it inside-out or cutting out the pattern, up to the people who sew it, and to the last step, which is putting the snaps on.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"The \u201csnaps\u201d that make sure the pad stays together is one of the hardest parts to make, Sullivan-Ongoza said. (Violet Comber-Wilen\/Billy Penn) <\/p>\n

Billy Penn attended a pad-making session to see the manufacturing and community in action.<\/p>\n

The process has eight distinct roles, board member Tiye Carter said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cSo you have someone who\u2019s doing the cutting, then you have someone who\u2019s stitching around and putting the pattern together. Then we use pool, which is a fabric that is leakproof, and so you have to make sure that\u2019s put in there. And there\u2019s people that do that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Volunteers have different skill sets \u2014 like cutting the shapes for the pads or sewing. (Violet Comber-Wilen\/Billy Penn)<\/p>\n

After they\u2019re finished, two pads are placed in a small, colorful pouch for distribution.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A healthy, sustainable option\u00a0<\/p>\n

For many girls around the world, single disposable menstrual pads and underwear can be too expensive to purchase in bulk. This can leave them with options that are unhealthy or unhygienic.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo a girl wears a pad multiple days, just to school, and takes it off after school and puts it back on the next day and this is something that\u2019s supposed to be one-time-only,\u201d Sullivan-Ongoza said. \u201cAnd women will see a mattress out in the trash, split the mattress open and collect the cotton inside, because it\u2019s absorbent, and they\u2019ll use that. They\u2019ll find some kind of way to contain it and use it as a pad.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Using menstrual products this way can increase the risk of Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS) or other infections.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"The pads are sewn together with \u201cnon-toxic\u201d elements, which can make them much better than disposable pads, Sullivan-Ongoza said. (Violet Comber-Wilen\/Billy Penn)<\/p>\n

In addition to the health benefits, having reusable products that are intended to be used repeatedly can also help women feel empowered and reduce stigma about their cycle.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Why cloth instead of tampons or menstrual cups? Because it\u2019s more universally accepted across cultures.<\/p>\n

\u201cCloth is the most acceptable, for everywhere you go,\u201d Sullivan-Ongoza said. \u201cNobody turns down a cloth menstrual pad. With menstrual cups and tampons, you have to really do your vetting and background research to make sure the women are going to use them.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Since U.S. consumers have more of a focus on disposable products, P.A.S.H.I. doesn\u2019t distribute products locally very often.<\/p>\n

For anyone curious, though, she said reusable pads are more environmentally friendly and cost effective, which can make them a good choice for anyone wanting to switch over.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Disposable \u201cpads have forever chemicals, the tampons have forever chemicals,\u201d she said. \u201cThey\u2019re toxic, and there is a big amount of waste that\u2019s accumulating from women disposing of these things here. And organic products cost three times as much.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery one that you waste here could\u2019ve kept a girl in school somewhere,\u201d she added. \u201cEvery one that\u2019s getting wasted here could have stopped a girl from using newspaper or dirty mattress stuffing.\u201d<\/p>\n

P.A.S.H.I.\u2019s program also hinges on partnerships between leaders and innovators in other countries, who are able to provide insights and advice on what products and practices would work best for their communities.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cSo it\u2019s kind of two ways \u2014 we\u2019re teaching them, but they\u2019re also teaching us, and it keeps us motivated,\u201d Sullivan-Ongoza said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Colorful pads are brought to countries all over the world. (Violet Comber-Wilen\/Billy Penn)<\/p>\n

That collaboration also includes trainings on how to create reusable pads. \u201cOnce they begin to learn, they are very enthusiastic about taking it back and turning it around and teaching the people back in Africa,\u201d Carter said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What\u2019s next for P.A.S.H.I.? Sullivan-Ongoza said the organization plans to continue making products with the resources it has available.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re just beautiful when they\u2019re scrappy, because people give us all kinds of fabric, and we just put them together, and they still look beautiful,\u201d she said. \u201cYou\u2019ve got all kinds of niche fabric, but we always say it\u2019s not the fashion, it\u2019s the function.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Before disposable pads and other mass-produced menstrual products became the norm, many societies created women\u2019s hygiene products, including…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":236157,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5132],"tags":[5229,648,407,1322,210,1448,2830,1311,67,586,132,5230,68,2969,15649],"class_list":{"0":"post-236156","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-philadelphia","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-arts","10":"tag-education","11":"tag-featured","12":"tag-health","13":"tag-pa","14":"tag-pennsylvania","15":"tag-philadelphia","16":"tag-united-states","17":"tag-united-states-of-america","18":"tag-unitedstates","19":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","20":"tag-us","21":"tag-usa","22":"tag-womens-health"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115224887066405407","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/236156","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=236156"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/236156\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/236157"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=236156"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=236156"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=236156"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}