At the start of 2020, Ella Lambert had plans to work in refugee camps abroad in the summer. But when COVID-19 restrictions made that impossible, she found a new way to help refugees.
Along with a fellow Bristol University student and friend Oliwia Geisler, she founded The Pachamama Project in August 2021. Their goal? To combat period poverty.
Although financial constraints are the main cause of period poverty, this term refers to anyone lacking the “availability and access to sanitary products”such as pads or tampons. This leads to an increase of infections when things like scraps of tissue or socks are used as a replacement.
“I’ve always really struggled with period pain, like absolutely atrocious period pain which would mean that I’d have to miss out on school and cancel plans last minute,” Ella said. “So although I’ve been really lucky, and I’ve never had to experience period poverty as such, I do know what it’s like to have to miss out on really important things and appointments because of my period.”
Instead of pads or tampons that can only be used once, Ella and Oliwia began using cloth they collected in their community to sew together reusable sanitary pads. But what started out as a two-person team quickly grew into a worldwide effort with more than 1,000 volunteers in the U.K., France, Italy, and the Unites States.
Anyone with access to a sewing machine can help out – all you need to do is contact them so you can learn how to make their Pacha Pads and, in turn, change lives!
“It’s really escalated from a little university project from a kitchen table to a global network,” Ella said.
Although period poverty is an issue throughout the world, The Pachamama Project is focusing on helping refugees, people they believe that the pandemic has shown to be some of the most vulnerable in society.
“Our pads are easy to make and will, we hope, make a huge difference to people already facing unimaginable daily challenges,” their website says. “Having your period should not be one of those challenges.”
Since starting this non-profit, Ella and Oliwia have visited a refugee camp in Lesbos, Greece. Here, they worked with local women who have been able to distribute the sanitary products for profit.
In that time, they’ve also managed to make more than 30,000 pads that come with their own discreet matching pouch, and the positive impact this is having on refugees is already being seen.
“This seemed like a really easy way of combatting period poverty and making sure that people didn’t have to deal with that because they had the products they needed that would last,” Ella said. “I get letters every day from my volunteers… we get thousands of [them] every week… letters saying how much the products helped them.”
Don’t forget to share this article with a friend.
Want to be happier in just 5 minutes a day? Sign up for Morning Smile and join over 455,000+ people who start each day with good news.