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Eco Femme is a global women’s empowerment initiative. Rising from rural India, reaching out to women around the world, we promote and revitalize menstrual practices that are healthy, dignified, affordable and eco positive.
Our Mission Statement:
We are a women's empowerment project. Rising from rural India and reaching the world, promoting menstrual practices that are healthy, dignified, affordable and eco-positive.
Education: We develop educational resources and work with schools and NGO's facilitating educational programs that foster a responsible, healthy and dignified menstrual experience for girls and women. Education includes yet goes beyond a biological understanding of the menstrual process. It opens a crucial conversation in a way that is respectful of culture while providing a safe space for women and girls to question their menstrual experience, social restrictions and product choice. These conversations build trust and community, and they are vital for reproductive health, as many of the women we work with do not have access to regular checkups, and are unaware of their body’s natural biological functions, i.e. what is considered normal or healthy and what is cause to seek medical attention.
Environment: We produce and promote cloth washable pads, an alternative menstrual product, which lasts for approx 75 washes and can prevent on average 600 disposable pads (each taking 500-800 years to decompose) or tampons from being thrown away during that same time. She also decreases her risk of rashes and yeast infections by using pure cotton cloth, which is soft and hypoallergenic.
We are a women's empowerment project. Rising from rural India and reaching the world, promoting menstrual practices that are healthy, dignified, affordable and eco-positive.
Eco Femme works in the area of:
Education: We develop educational resources and work with schools and NGO's facilitating educational programs that foster a responsible, healthy and dignified menstrual experience for girls and women. Education includes yet goes beyond a biological understanding of the menstrual process. It opens a crucial conversation in a way that is respectful of culture while providing a safe space for women and girls to question their menstrual experience, social restrictions and product choice. These conversations build trust and community, and they are vital for reproductive health, as many of the women we work with do not have access to regular checkups, and are unaware of their body’s natural biological functions, i.e. what is considered normal or healthy and what is cause to seek medical attention.
Environment: We produce and promote cloth washable pads, an alternative menstrual product, which lasts for approx 75 washes and can prevent on average 600 disposable pads (each taking 500-800 years to decompose) or tampons from being thrown away during that same time. She also decreases her risk of rashes and yeast infections by using pure cotton cloth, which is soft and hypoallergenic.
Livelihood: Marginalized rural Indian women in self help groups with our outreach partner Auroville Village Action Group (AVAG), earn a living wage by stitching cloth washable menstrual pads. We believe that women generating their own income is a key towards empowerment and greater freedom and development for women in underserved communities.
Gift a Pad program: For every Eco Femme washable cloth pad sold outside India, a pad is donated to a girl in rural India as part of our Gift a Pad program. Four donations are clubbed together to form one kit that consists of 4 pads, a travel pouch, an educational booklet and care instructions. Pads are distributed to girls, ages 10-19, who come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Gifting is embedded in a larger group intervention that includes an educational seminar. The seminar topics cover menstrual and reproductive health, and information about the proper use and care of cloth pads. We are reaching on avarage 100-200 girls per month. The program is also regularly evaluated to receive the girls’ feed back and assess the usage and acceptance of the program. Since September 2013 we have begun to spread this program outside of Tamil Nadu working with with implementation partners in other parts of India who are ready to conduct the educational seminar and offer cloth pads to the same target group of girls.
We have set an ambitious target to reach out to 10,000 girls by31st March 2017, through our Gift a Pad program. So far, our only stream of income for this program is through the Rs80 donation applied to pad sales internationally. In order to reach this target we are widening the possibilities for contributions to this program by enabling direct donations – within India as well as abroad – independant of pad sales.
Please click here to take you to the Auroville Donation gateway where you can donate using credit cards>>>http://www.auroville.com/donations/
Please click here to take you to the Auroville Donation gateway where you can donate using credit cards>>>http://www.auroville.com/
Please Note:
1. Specify in the beneficiary field ¨Eco Femme – Gift a Pad”
2. You can give 2 Lakhs INR, 2000 USD and 1000 Euro as max amounts per one transfer per day
3. Contact us directly for large donations within India, which might be eligible for Income Tax deduction under sec. 80G
2. You can give 2 Lakhs INR, 2000 USD and 1000 Euro as max amounts per one transfer per day
3. Contact us directly for large donations within India, which might be eligible for Income Tax deduction under sec. 80G
Your contributions directly enable adolescent girls to access sustainable menstrual products and an educational program, which make it possible for them to experience healthy, dignified, affordable, and eco-positive periods now and for the rest of their menstruating lives.
Eco Femme, Saracon Campus, Kottakarai (near Ganesh Bakery), Auroville, 605111, Tamil Nadu, India.
