- A sustainable initiative to fight period poverty
Free to Flow Founder Malsha Kumaranatunge[/caption]
When something as natural as a period puts women in the position of dealing with financial strain, something needs to be done, and this is what spurred Malsha Kumaranatunge into action to form the initiative Free to Flow. Brunch caught up with Kumaranatunge to learn more about this initiative which she plans to launch formally at the end of October.
Following are excerpts of the interview.
What inspired Free to Flow?
During the elections, I saw that periods were used as a tool by some candidates to promote their platform, and that got me thinking: Has anything really been done? We talk about it a lot but have we actually done anything about it?
One of my friends gave me the idea of personally handing out sanitary napkins (the one-time-use ones) to women and girls in need, and I realised there was no point giving girls packs of pads that would last them two days at most. Reusable pads would make more of an impact.
I started getting in touch with factories that could make this pad and got the ball rolling. I was initially going to launch Free to Flow on 3 October, but with Covid-19, quarantine being extended, and factories having difficulty sourcing materials at this time, I postponed it to the end of October. For the launch itself, I’m going directly to the communities. A lot of people wanted to have a gala event to mark the launch of Free to Flow, but I feel that money would be better spent on making more pads for Free to Flow to distribute. There are other more meaningful ways to get the word out there, and even with just word of mouth, I’ve already had so many people reach out to me offering to help.
How are Free to Flow’s pads going to help with period poverty?
The pads we’ve created are reusable and will be distributed to women from low-income communities. They feature reusable cotton holders that clip onto underwear, and flannel pieces which form the absorbent piece of the pad. These flannel pieces can be washed and reused for about one-and-a-half years.
Most commercial pads right now are very expensive and treated as a luxury import, which means women pay a tax of 53% on each pack of pads that they buy. The prices of these pads range from Rs. 500 to Rs. 900, and since a pad has to be changed every four hours for risk of infection, one woman uses between two and three packs per menstrual cycle, which translate to a significant expense, especially for the daily worker and for households with more than one woman.
Commercial pads also use a lot of plastic, from the packet itself to the covering to the absorbent piece within the pad. This has a significant impact on the environment as well.
Free to Flow’s pads are reusable, biodegradable, and affordable, with the cost of one set (two cotton holders and two flannel pieces) costing Rs. 280 to produce and lasting for one-and-a-half years. The flannel piece is as absorbent as a commercial pad and can be used for up to six hours at a time.When distributing pads to women and girls, Free to Flow will also be working with doctors to conduct menstrual health seminars to give these girls added knowledge on staying healthy.
Why do you feel menstruation and menstrual health is such a taboo topic?
I think it’s to do with shame. Anything surrounding a woman always starts from a point of shame. That’s how we go through life, and it’s how we’re brought up – not to shout, not to be loud, and to be a wallflower. Even with something as natural as a period, we have to look at it from a point of shame, and for me, that’s just the patriarchy. I am very open about periods, and little by little, things are changing. Women are becoming more and more opinionated and are realising this is something to be open about; that it’s just as natural as breathing.
Even when we went to Deraniyagala to hand out pads at the very start of Free to Flow, we thought we’d have to encourage women to come listen to us, but once we explained what was happening, they were more excited than we were. The lady handing out things in Deraniyagala has also told us how more people have been coming to her too. I thought people would be reluctant and secretive, but they’ve been really open-minded.
What’s the next step for Free to Flow?
Following our launch at the end of October, the next step of Free to Flow is our second phase, which is devising a period cup – a menstrual health tool that is reusable for up to five years. We’re hoping to encourage women who have already had children or who are past a certain age to use the period cup, but we have to approach it very carefully, given the mindsets, and also make sure people are comfortable with the idea.
What was the biggest challenge of creating an initiative that talks about menstrual health and period poverty?
Actually, the biggest challenge was finding the product and getting it right. We did a lot of sampling and putting materials together to test if it was working properly. It wasn’t difficult; in fact it was enjoyable. But getting the product right was the biggest challenge. Once we had the product right, it was actually pretty free flowing. Pun intended.