So many girls in Ethiopia have to miss school when they have their periods because disposable feminine hygiene products are not available or not affordable, especially in the rural areas. The WRAPs project (washable, reusable, affordable pads) gives girls the freedom to continue with their education and the opportunity to strive for their dreams.

Some girls don’t have anything at all to use while menstruating and simply try to hitch up their skirts. Others use old rags or dirty objects like leaves.

Allison Karnes launched this project after she was exposed to the great needs of women in Ethiopia and saw the consequences a simple, natural process was having on young women and their education. After months of testing and tweaking, her team developed what has been described as the “best reusable pads” in the Horn of Africa.

This project is a win-win because it also employs Ethiopian women to make the WRAPs! An incredible group of hard-working women come together to sew these pads, wet bags and package them together into WRAPs kits, with underwear, reusable pads, and the bag to carry them to and from school. All of those employees are in school – some going back to elementary grades and others graduating from college and university programs.

So simple, and yet so profound, and the results speak for themselves – girls are staying in school! For $15 per kit, you can empower girls and promote education in one fell swoop.