Service Learning #1

 

Activism: Since I changed my Service Learning Project, I am now working with an organization called Days for Girls, which is an organization that puts together kits to send to women and girls in developing countries who don’t have access to sanitary items for menstruation. These kits are comprised of sanitary pads, liners, underwear, plastic zip lock bags and a washcloth; these items are reusable and can be hidden in the drawstring bag they come in. You can choose to make one item for the kit or to make all the items in the kit and I chose to focus on making the liners, because as I am still a novice at sewing it seemed like something I would be able to sew by hand if my sewing machine failed. I began this project by checking out the various craft stores to see who had the best deals on fabrics or the best coupons, and I ended up choosing Jo-Ann Fabrics because they had a larger variety of fabrics and also accept competitor’s coupons. I also was able to find someone to help answer all my questions when I was looking for the right kind of fabric. Once I had the fabric I had to wash and dry it and then I could finally begin sewing. Unfortunately I did end up having some issues with my sewing machine, which I still can’t figure out what I am doing wrong so I am going to hand sew all the liners.

Reflection: In this class we are learning a lot about girls and their bodies, especially during menstruation. To quote Joan Jacobs Brumberg in her book The Body Project, she says that “When contemporary American girls begin to menstruate, they think of hygiene, not fertility; and that is the American way, and it is taken for granted , as if it were part of the natural order” (55). Most of us grew up with access to sanitary napkins or tampons and were instructed on how to use them by our mothers or doctors. In other countries there are women and young girls who don’t have access to these items and menstruation has a huge stigma attached to it where the women and girls are thought of as unclean and will be kept at home, missing work and school. Missing work and school can cause these women and children to lose income and also be more likely to drop out of school.

Reciprocity: This class and everything we have read, plus working on this project has made me realize just how lucky we are to have access to the information and the sanitary products used during menstruation. It also has made me realize that there are other options for products to use during menstruation, items that can be reusable and more eco-friendly.

Works Cited

Brumberg, Joan Jacobs. The Body Project: An Intimate History of American Girls. New York: Random House, Inc., 1997.