Over the years I have seen a large amount of shame, disconnect and judgment women have about their bodies - and especially around our menstrual cycles. It’s a cultural problem, rooted in the lack of deeply knowing that our bodies are sacred temples and monthly bleeding is holy. It’s a problem I see in various expressions all over the world.
However, these days we see many movements to reclaim and re-sanctify the life stages that we go through, in turn helping us to love and sanctify our bodies and the earth.
Birthing Mama was born to help reclaim all that is sacred around pregnancy, birth and motherhood and has widened her circle to include all the passages that we walk through from birth to death.
During one of my two-months stays in South India I met various women and organizations that inspired me. One afternoon I enjoyed lunch with Jessamijn, one of the co-founders of Eco Femme in Auroville, and I want to share with you about the awesome work that they are doing for women, communities and the earth. I look forward to collaborating with them, supporting their work.
Eco Femme defines their mission as…
“A global women’s empowerment initiative. Rising from rural India, reaching out to people around the world, we promote and revitalize menstrual practices that are healthy, dignified, affordable and eco-positive."
And here are some of the wonderful things Eco Femme is doing:
***Providing menstrual hygiene education and free cloth washable pads to adolescent girls in India through their Pad for Pad program
***Providing access to cross-subsidized cloth washable pads to women who would be otherwise be restricted by cost, through their Pads for Sisters program
***Training facilitators in how to promote healthy and environmentally sustainable menstrual practices in their community
***Offering advice and consultancy to organization’s around the world concerned with sustainable menstrual practices
***Advancing research into menstrual hygiene pedagogy
***Advocating for non-polluting menstrual practices through writing, film making and speaking to groups whenever they can
***Providing livelihoods to local Indian women
Please check out Eco Femme’s website if you haven’t already to see more!
With Gratitude Love and Blessings,
Corinne