Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated on August 6, 2008.

Who is responsible for this project?

From concept to execution, this is all being done by Pardada Pardadi. Jenny and I have involvement limited wholly to publicizing the fundraising efforts. (We work in advertising; it's nice to use our powers for good.)

What raw materials are being used?

No plastic -- only wood pulp and cotton gauze. The wood pulp has been imported from other countries. It's the same wood pulp used in the manufacture of tampons and sanitary napkins in other countries, because wood pulp has a high absorption property.

As per Pardada Pardadi's discussion with the supplier, the manufacturers of the wood pulp are following the environment norms. There are no chemicals used to treat the wood pulp or the cotton. For sterilization, a UV machine is used.

Can the pads be recycled?

These pads are not recyclable because the women cannot hygienically clean them after use (nor could you in the US without significant effort, we imagine). Once they are used, the girls will throw them away wherever they throw away all their garbage (usually off in a couple random areas in a village, unfortunately); or they can bury them. I don't believe this poses a health risk to the community, though it's certainly not ideal.

Before disposal, the pads have to be torn off. The wood pulp inside the pad is totally biodegradable. There is a very small portion of pad that remains after this, which can be thrown in the trash bin.

I'm not sure rural Indian women can afford to pay Rs. 25 for a pack of 10 pads.

We wonder about affordability as well, but the people at PP believe this will be accessible to the girls going to the school. They are directly involved with the community, and they know what the people there can afford, so we trust their judgment.

You say that dirty rags are "stuffed inside the women." Surely that's not the case!

Many people have told us that in other parts of India, they use rags or cloths to absorb the flow, not to block it. But what's true for one part of India will not be true for another. Renuka, our contact at Pardada Pardadi, told us that this is the technique in the villages around the school. We were horrified to hear it as well.

Why are old saris unsanitary? It's just cloth, right? What's unsanitary about that?

Great question. Maybe they're using the same rag for the duration of the period, giving time for bacteria to collect. Maybe they're not washing the rag immediately before using it. Maybe they do wash it but don't let it dry, which could encourage bacterial growth on the wet surface.

There are many sanitary ways that rags could be used, and there are many unsanitary ways. Pardada Pardadi has identified enough instances of UTI and other infections to convince them that the local technique for dealing with periods is NOT sanitary, and that change needs to happen.

Are disposable pads the best solution?

Maybe. Maybe not. There is clearly a lot of debate on the subject, as you can read on our blog. Some argue that the solution should be more eco-friendly; other people say that the immediate health needs are more important than the long-term environmental impact. Still others have suggested alternate manufacturing techniques.

So what is the right solution? We don't know. What we do know is that Pardada Pardadi has identified this solution as the right one for the circumstances in the area, and we trust their judgment because they know far more about local conditions that we do. They are on the ground in those villages, and they have analyzed the balance between economy, patriarchy, sanitary resources, water supplies, wealth, distribution challenges, education level, and receptiveness to change.

If you're not convinced this is the right solution, we don't blame you. Readers of our blog have pointed out a number of great alternatives, including this one, this one, and this one. We are forwarding all this information to Pardada Pardadi, and they will surely analyze it to ensure they are going down the right path.

For us, it comes down to this: we have visited the Pardada Pardadi school, we have toured the villages, and we have seen the impact the school is having with our own eyes. We trust them. And we're willing to donate our money AND our time to help them achieve their goals.

I still have a question.

You can email us or post your question on our blog or on our Facebook group.