Jolindy Dreyer started the #maskstopads movement. Picture: Supplied
Cape Town: When George resident Jolindy Dreyer came across a video on YouTube about the female owner of a factory that makes sanitary pads owner and restructured the operations to turn sanitary pads into masks, she knew it could be the start of something great.
Dreyer thought that if pads could be turned into masks, then the reverse was true too –masks could be turned into pads
And that was how #maskstopads, a GoDiva-initiative, was born.
Dreyer was not new to the reusable sanitary pad world but during Covid-19, her original facility closed.
GoDiva was initially founded in 2018 and manufactures a range of reusable sanitary pads.
After thinking about the video she saw post-Covid-19, Dreyer’s concern was that the country no longer needed masks and they would fill landfills.
She said: “We had an abundance of cloth face masks everywhere in the country. Some people would even have a different cloth mask with every outfit. The video came to mind, and I got the bright idea of turning the masks into pads.”
The cloth masks GoDiva upcycles into sanitary pads and sanitary bag are are being donated to the underprivileged.
Before you think of tossing your unwanted cloth masks into the trash, there's a way in which you can reuse it.
“Our primary beneficiaries are school-going girls from disadvantaged communities,” said Dreyer.
She said families with young schoolchildren in disadvantaged communities did not have the money or an income that stretched far enough to buy sanitary products.
“Young girls would rather stay out of school than have a visible accident where they can be mocked by their peers.”
Dreyer said that donating single-use sanitary products added to the problem instead of solving it.
“With a lack of proper disposal facilities, used single-use sanitary products become a hygiene issue, whereas reusable sanitary pads, if taken care of as instructed, can last up to 3 to 5 years.”
GoDiva also uses its social media pages to educate people on sexual and menstrual health.
Dreyer said that kind of education led to empowerment.
“A young girl who is taught to love and respect her own body, is also a young girl who makes choices and decisions that are right for her,” she said.
Lauren Coetzee has been using the reusable pads since #maskstopads started and said it had eased the financial burden of buying sanitary pads every month.
"The reusable cloth sanitary pad is not just convenient but comfortable as well. It has really helped me a lot. I no longer have to worry that I don't have money to buy sanitary products for my flowing days. I recommend it to everyone I come into contact with," she said.
GoDiva is a non-profit organisation that relies solely on donations.
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