Tampons That Change the World, One Period At a Time
Monday, March 16, 2015
“Welcome to the store for vaginas.”
These are the confident and unapologetic words that greet you when you visit the website for SHEVA, a startup that sells feminine hygiene products for a cause. The branding, which includes a woman in a classic Rosie the Riveter pose holding a box of Playtex tampons, dispels menstrual stigma and promotes women’s empowerment with every click.
But this isn’t just a one-stop shop for women’s products. SHEVA is also a community working to empower girls in developing countries. With every purchase, the company gives a month’s supply of sanitary pads to a girl in need, and works to educate her about her body and her rights.
“I believe girls are the most powerful forces in changing a community,” Marisabel Ruiz, CEO and founder of SHEVA, tells Mashable. “But a lot of girls in developing countries do not have access to basic sanitary protection.
As a result, many girls get low grades, drop out of school or get pregnant at very young ages.
Taboos and a lack of understanding surrounding periods continue to permeate cultures, too. According to a 2012 WaterAid survey, 48% of girls in Iran and 10% of girls in India thought menstruation was a disease. UNICEF found that 66% of girls in South Asia didn’t know anything about menstruation before their first period.
Source: Mashable (link opens in a new window)
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