Imagine having to miss school every time you got your period – and having to use leaves and bark as a makeshift absorbent – leaving you at risk of infection.
Melbourne industrial designer and social entrepreneur Roz Campbell knows that this is a reality for many women in developing countries.
“This is an issue that has major ramifications on women in developing countries, where a combination of being vulnerable to humiliation and a risk of infection can have long term effects on their education – often missing long periods of school,” said Ms Campbell.
If you’re reading this, there’s a 50% chance you’re a woman – so can imagine how terrible this reality would be. Determined to make a difference, Roz is launching Tsuno, a unique social enterprise that donates 50% of profits from its beautiful bamboo-fibre sanitary pads to programs for women in the developing world and is launching a Pozible crowd-funding campaign on the 13th of March 2014 to raise enough funds for its very first bulk shipping order.
“Most women loathe ‘that time of the month’, but imagine how much harder it would be without access to the sanitary products that we take so much for granted,” said Ms Campbell.
As she discovered for herself, going without adequate sanitary protection really sucks.
Last year, Roz embarked on an unconventional (and confronting) fundraising and awareness campaign for One Girl. She committed to managing one whole period using nothing but the methods resorted to by women in developing countries. for five difficult days, Roz faced the prospect of placing leaves, bark, rags, and whatever else she could get her hands on near her precious, precious lady bits. For five uncomfortable days, Roz was irritable as hell. and then she had an epiphany.
“For a woman to be in the situation where she has no other option and has to use bark or leaves, she is not in a good place,” she said.
“What really stuck with me was that something as manageable as a period could be a barrier to education for millions of girls in the developing world.” Roz has combined her interest in social development and industrial design to develop Tsuno Sanitary Pads: an affordable, effective, sustainable and comfortable sanitary pad.
“After 12 months of design, research, blood, sweat and tears (no pun intended), I feel confident that these pads could replace regular supplies in most women’s bathroom cabinets”, she said.
Launching on the 13th of March 2014, Tsuno’s 60-day Pozible crowd-funding campaign aims to raise the $40,000 required for its first shipment of sanitary pads. The launch will be taking place at the Cinema Nova in Carlton at 6:30 pm with a special screening of the documentary ‘I Am a Girl, followed by a Q&A. Tickets for the launch can be purchased at www.tsuno.com.au
Tsuno Pozible Campaign
13 March 2014- 11 May 2014
www.pozible.com/tsuno
