About me.
My name is Maya Hegde. I am a Girl Scout from Colorado and Pad Power is my Gold Award project. The Gold Award is the highest award in Girl Scouts. Through the Gold Award, an individual Girl Scout must come up with a plan to better their communities on a local, national, or global level. I have partnered with the Mangala Seva orphanage in India and the Brydges Centre in Kenya because I believe that girls in developing countiries are affected the most through lack of access to sanitary pads. Through my project, I help teach girls how to make and care for their sanitary products in hopes that they will be able to attend classes while on their periods and have a better education.
The Problem.
Many girls in developing countres are forced to miss a week of school every month due to lack of access to snaitary products. They eventually fall behind and are forced to drop out. Because of their lack of educations, many girls are not able to get jobs and are often not able to integrate into society. Another major problem is the stigma surrounding periods. This creates a society in which girls are not properly educated about periods and this is very harmful.
Having access to reusable sanitary pads allows girls to put an end to the harmful cycle and attend school even on their periods. As more girls are able to enter the workforce and better their communities, my hope is that periods will be normalized.
Having access to reusable sanitary pads allows girls to put an end to the harmful cycle and attend school even on their periods. As more girls are able to enter the workforce and better their communities, my hope is that periods will be normalized.
Building Community.
Through "pad parties", my friends and I were able to create a community in which I was able to spread awareness about my project and teach my friends how to make pads in a relaxed environment. This environment allowed us to empathize with the girls in these developing countries and it taught us that periods are a natural and healthy occurance that should not be stigmatized.
View some project pictures or watch my interview below!
View some project pictures or watch my interview below!