Refugee Week News

THE PACHAMAMA PROJECT IN NUMBERS

August 2020

Volunteers: 3

June 2021

Volunteers: 1000

Pacha Pads made: 20,000

Pacha Pads sent out to date: nearly 15,000

Distribution partners: 7 in Athens, Lesvos, Beirut, Bekaa Valley, Turkey, Swindon, Washington DC.

Supporting refugees in six countries (Greece, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, UK, US)

Pachamama ambassadors in four countries (UK, US, Italy, France)

BREAKING NEWS

This week is Refugee Week and we are proud to announce that Ella has been named a “Point of Light” by Prime Minister Boris Johnson – an award that is given out in recognition of voluntary service. Ella is delighted to accept this on behalf of the whole Pachamama community. When informed of the award, Ella replied:

“Thank you so much for awarding me the Point of Light award during refugee week. It's so important to shine a light on the issue of period poverty. Millions of people around the world have to deal with period poverty which contributes to gender inequality, health issues and a huge amount of shame. Refugees, migrants and displaced people are particularly disadvantaged by period poverty. I'm grateful for the opportunity to raise awareness of these issues at government level and to be recognised for the work that nearly 1000 Pachamama volunteers are doing.”

@dcms

/dcmsgovuk |

COUNTRY UPDATES

USA:

A hugely successful trial in the US with Food Justice DMV in Washington DC was quickly followed by an order for as many pads as we can supply! Those who received them said they were very relieved that they wouldn’t have to worry about not being able to afford products anymore.

A message from Food Justice DMV:

"This box represents an incredible number of hours of effort on the part of so many caring people (with amazing sewing skills!). I just don't know how to thank them adequately for their love and support for immigrant women. This gift releases many women from the stress and danger of period poverty. Women here in DC who have already received pads are sharing with us the sense of relief they feel."

300 pads have so far been sent to the organisation by US-based volunteers and we sent a box of 400 from the UK to kickstart the effort while we build our network in the States. We are keen to build our US volunteer network as fast as possible to meet the huge demand. If you have any friends or contacts in the US, please spread the word.

Lebanon:

10,500 Pacha Pads have started their journey from the UK to Lebanon to the FreeShop Lebanon. We took the pads to Distributeaid in Cambridge, the organisation managing the shipping. The Pachamama Project paid for two pallets and also donated a pallet-worth of excellent quality donated bedding (donated to Pachamama but too pale for use as Pacha Pads) to the general shipment to be “sold” in the FreeShop –recycling at its very best – along with donations of bras, stationery, children’s and baby clothes collected from our volunteers and our local Essex community.

Wing Woman in Beirut put in an order for 2,000 pads. They now have a successful Pacha Club running with refugee women making Pacha Pads to sell to aid organisations that will then be given to other refugee women. We have given their stocks a boost with this initial order and they have been sent all the materials they need to make a further 2,500 Pacha Pads themselves.

We had just enough pads made with Zorb and/or PUL (waterproof layer) to be able to provide one of these to every woman in their bag of four pads and also added several hundred small, light and large pads to the order to be offered as extras. That said, the ladies can have as many pads as they need, because we can always send more, as required.

Greece:

Ella is still in Greece– and will now be staying until the end of

the year. Anyone who saw the photo of the tiny bag she took with her for her own things (using her luggage allowance for Pacha Pads!) will be relieved to know that we have since sent on a few extras.

Athens:

On the way to Lesbos, Ella dropped another batch of Pacha Pads in Athens with Brittany, the founder of Refugym, for the women she supports. We have now supplied an extra 50 people in Athens with pads for the next 3-5 years.

Lesvos:

Ella took enough Pacha Pads for 100 women in Lesvos. Following a successful trial, we have secured a partnership with The Starfish Foundation to supply women and girls living in accommodation out of camp who have access to laundry facilities.

We have also set up a new trial Pacha Club in Lesvos for a small group of refugee women to make and sell the pads, to provide them with food vouchers and an opportunity to leave the Moria camp and work on something positive together every week.

Meanwhile Ella continues to work for the Azadi Project as Program Manager for the mental health programme that is supporting groups of refugee women from the Moria 2.0 camp. She has brought together a talented group of young people to work on social media content for both Azadi and Pachamama: Jenny Barruol, Hamza Yakupoglu and Annachiara Ruzzetta and, if you follow us on social media, you’ll be seeing their amazing work.

Turkey and Syria:

A new exciting partnership has been established with The Rainbow Project in Turkey. The Rainbow project is a group making brightly coloured blankets, children's wear, toys and more to give a little bit of hope, joy and comfort to the Syrian children who have endured so much in their young lives. This group supports Syrian families in Turkey as well as Syrians in the Turkish-Syrian border area where living conditions are extremely challenging. We have sent an initial 1,800 pads for 300 women and girls.

The UK:

The Harbour Project in Swindon will be featured in the Channel 4 documentary “Invented” that will be aired on its social media channels. A really successful trial means that they will be taking as many pads as we can supply.

FUNDRAISING

An easy way to help us raise money in a way that will cost you nothing is to sign up to easyfundraising on our behalf and do your online shopping via this link.

SPREADING THE WORD

In May, Pachamama was featured in a follow-up BBC article by Alex Pope and then on BBC Look East and BBC Points West and on Radio 5 Live. The coverage generated lots of interest – including over 300 new volunteer enquiries.

Pachamama director Oliwia did a fantastic job working with the Channel 4 TV production company to showcase Pachamama for a series on projects that do social good, spending the day at the Pachamama HQ as well as a trip to Swindon to the Harbour Project for the filming. The programme will be aired on Channel 4’s social media and we will share the link when it comes out.

Ella will be speaking at the following online events:

The Global Social Leaders festival, 17-18 June

This year’s theme is Small Actions, Big Impact – focusing on how we can create ripple effects of change and harness our passions to make the world a better place. On the 17th and 18th of June 2021, participants will experience a mixture of inspirational speakers, interactive workshops and a showcase of international student-led projects, to develop the confidence, leadership and global understanding that promotes social harmony.

The GSL Festival @Home is unique, interactive, and filled with inspiration. It celebrates youth voice and gives students and educators the tools to create transformational social change. We will be sharing how 2,300+ young people from 76 countries have been achieving the United Nation’s Global Goals and shining a spotlight on those that have gone above and beyond. We will celebrate and support youth led action.

European Student Think Tank online discussion: Period Poverty in Europe: a Matter of Human Rights, 18 June

#Menstrual hygiene is a matter of gender #equality and social justice, as well as of access to public and private spaces. The lack of access to menstrual hygiene products is a social problem that affects women all over Europe and can be aggravated by the financial situation, but also by #ethnicity, #sexual orientation or #gender #identity. To discuss the issue of Period Poverty in Europe with an intersectional approach, we organise an online talk on the 18th of June, at 7:30 pm (CEST), via Zoom. Are you willing to learn more about our guest speakers? Check out our Facebook page for the details via the link below: 🔗https://cutt.ly/HnURCy8 To register for the event, make sure you fill out this form: 🔗 https://bit.ly/3zehrTj

Ella has also done a number of online presentations to schools (assemblies and groups) which is a great way to spread the word, normalise the conversation around periods and generate new volunteer interest. If you have a link to a school, Ella would be happy to talk to them about presenting to students.

Meanwhile, if you follow us on social media, please share our posts – it really does help.

@thepachaproject

HOUSEKEEPING

Bags:

Following feedback from the ladies we supply, we are now providing six Pacha Pads per person. Therefore, we have increased the minimum bag size to 22cm x 26cm. All the bags in stock will be used, as they still fit the larger number – it’s just nice to have a roomier bag.

Pacha Pads:

Our wonderful volunteers, Ruth and her daughter Vicky, Helen, Inderjeet and her daughter Amrit and Peggy have been working hard to revise our flying saucer instructions and provide printable templates.

The vast majority of pads that come through the door are perfect but we have revised our instructions to make it super clear that all the internal layers need to be sewn all the way around and firmly secured to the pad so nothing can roll up or come loose and to address issues that arise from time to time.

Pacha Pad checklist:

-absorbency (minimum 20ml. You can add further layers of towel if necessary)

-robustness (the core and all the layers are secured all the way around and attached to the main body)

-size (check against the actual size in the instructions, rather than trusting your printer which may print out different dimensions)

-Wings in the middle (in the aeroplane pattern, check the wings are central on the body)

-Fabric is good as new or new (check there is no colour fade or wear. We can supply fabric from our donated stock on request. Also, please avoid using plain white/cream where possible)

-Fleece (new, dark-coloured anti-pil polar fleece for the top layer. We can supply fleece on request. Internal layer can be second-hand fleece)

PUL/Zorb

For anyone using either PUL (waterproof layer) and/or Zorb, here’s how to use them:

-Original Zorb goes in place of the towel, otherwise no change

-4D PUL Zorb – in place of towel and you can leave out the second fleece layer (or keep)

-PUL only – extra layer sewn between cotton and towel.

THE PACHAMAMA COMMUNITY

Our community of volunteers continues to grow and it’s brilliant to see all the interaction on social media.

We would strongly advise everyone to join the private Pachamama Facebook Group (you don’t need to be active on Facebook but you need an account) – not only will you see the latest news on the project and tips and advice from sewers on there, but it is such a positive, supportive lovely community to be part of.

Otherwise, please email us whenever you have any questions.

WHAT NEXT?

WE HAVE A BANK ACCOUNT!!!!! This is more than exciting because it means we can now start the process of converting from a Community Interest Company to a charity. Charity status will make us eligible to apply for grants and funding ear-marked for the kind of work we are doing and should mean that we will be able to help so many more people in the world.

THANK YOU SO MUCH

We couldn’t do what we do without:

Smoothie London for their continued support in donating 10% of their profits to us and for creating a special Pachamama huggie earring. Please check out their collection – beautiful earrings at amazing prices.

BB Pads – commercial reusable sanitary pads donating 10% of their profits to us

Bristol Upholstery fabric company for over 200m of fabric that we sent to Wing Woman in Beirut for their Pacha Club.

Fleur et Ours fabric shop in Harwich for a generous donation of fabric

Rosi Skinfood - wonderful organic skincare – donating 10% from online purchases when you use the code “PACHA” at the checkout

Liz Walsh for our brilliant website

Beth Rowland for our gorgeous logo Beth (@bethblueart) • Instagram photos and videos

All our amazing volunteers and their families who get involved

A MESSAGE FROM THE PACHAMAMA TEAM

We have come a long way in a very short time. This project has captured the imagination and sympathy of so many caring people. Along the way, we are meeting incredible people and learning so much. Our pads are made with love and received with appreciation – for the solution they provide, and the gift they represent. From our hands to theirs, our Pacha Pads are changing lives and we should all be very proud.

“Never Underestimate the power of a small group of committed people to change the world”

Margaret Mead, US Anthropologist 1901-1978