The aim of this project was to raise awareness for women in developing countries, such as Zambia, who do not have the access to menstrual products that we do and therefore miss out on education and other opportunities. Some cannot afford the menstrual products that are available to them and therefore are forced to stay at home while they are on their period. The students involved from St Joseph’s Mercy, Navan, wanted to raise awareness of this problem and perhaps start a peer-lead programme to teach women in third world countries how to make their own reusable menstrual products with the materials that are available to them.
‘We hope this will inspire self-empowerment and combat the large gender equality in education. We want to take a feminist approach on our science project We want to tackle the stigma around periods as we feel it is ridiculous to have a natural process discriminated against in this day and age. We want to normalise the conversation around periods and overall, we just hope to make a difference in any way we can.’
Source: Salomé Maher Bordalo and Sophie McElligott, St Joseph’s Mercy, Navan, Co. Meath
Year: 2019
Courtesy of Melissa Dowd, Dorothy Jacob and Hugh Bergin
Irish Global Solidarity in 100 Objects is organised by developmenteducation.ie, an online hub focused on learning about the unequal and unjust shape of the world today, and is coordinated by Aidlink, Concern Worldwide, the Irish Development Education Association, the National Youth Council of Ireland, Self Help Africa, Trócaire and 80:20 Educating and Acting for a Better World.
DevelopmentEducation.ie is part funded by Irish Aid.
