Hello everyone, 

At the beginning of March, we are calling on you and your sewing talents!

Symbolic day of March 8, International Women's Day, we need you. 

I was contacted by Marion from Pretty Mercerie to tell me about Blanche's wonderful solidarity project, which is part of the NGO "Fille du monde".

This wonderful NGO, run by eight young people, provides African women in Benin with access to washable sanitary towels in two ways. 

 In the long term, by teaching them how to sew their own pads and in the short term, by providing them with ready-to-use washable sanitary pads or panty liners. 

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OBJECTIVE: COLLECT AS MANY SANITARY NAPKINS OR PANTY LINERS AS POSSIBLE!

Throughout the month of March, we will collect your creations either at the PRETTY MERCERIE workshop or directly at the NGO's premises. 

We will then send all your creations in a single shipment to Blanche. 

To participate, nothing could be simpler:

1/ Download the WASHABLE TOWEL TUTORIAL + PATTERN and print the sanitary towel sewing pattern and its instructions, free of charge (above).

2/ Use your fabric scraps either:  

 – For sewing panty liners in 100% cotton.

– To sew sanitary napkins you will need: cotton fabric, terry cloth (bamboo, cotton, etc.) and PUL fabric (coated/waterproof).

Here are the 3 compatible fabrics: https://prettymercerie.com/fr/354-tissu-zero-dechet 

3/ Send your creations throughout the month of March to Pretty Mercerie or directly to ONG FILLE DU MONDE: 

• PRETTY MERCERIE , 42 rue Louise Koppe, ZA de la Bizoterie, 28240 MANOU, FRANCE
• NGO DAUGHTER OF THE WORLD, Blanche Chartier, 5 rue de la mêtairie, 45760 BOIGNY SUR BIONNE, France

 4/ Share your creations on Instagram or Facebook with #LibertyWomen #couturesolidaire and tagging @prettymercerie @clematissepattern and @libertyforwomen 

Cela permettra de faire grandir l’ampleur de cette action solidaire en donnant envie à d’autres personnes de nous rejoindre. <3

 

A few words and photos from Blanche about the NGO: 

« Nous sommes 8 jeunes issus de cursus différents, nous nous sommes rencontrées grâce à notre inscription à la structure jeune au sein de notre ville Boigny sur Bionne à Orléans. Cette structure étant encadré par la mairie, celle-ci nous aide dans nos actions. 

Nous nous sommes associés à l’ONG fille du monde, qui a déjà réalisé ces missions auparavant, ce qui nous apporte sécurité et contact sur place. » « Pour notre part, nous allons nous rendre au Bénin, nous partons réaliser notre magnifique projet le 19 juillet 2020 jusqu’au 31 juillet 2020, le but étant d’organiser des ateliers afin de permettre à ces jeunes femmes de fabriquer leurs propres serviettes hygiéniques lavables. Nous souhaitons récolter un maximum de dons. Nous avons choisi comme nom Liberty Women.

 Ce projet a tout d’abord un but éducatif mais également environnementale, limitant à notre échelle la pollution. »

  #LibertyWomen

 #zerowaste “

 "Menstruation: One in 10 young African women does not go to school"

The primary cause of this absenteeism is the unaffordable cost of sanitary protection. This phenomenon is growing in rural areas where ancestral knowledge based on foams that allowed blood flow to be absorbed has been lost... and which creates a first obstacle in the education of girls, which is nevertheless crucial for the future of the country.

Les « moyens de fortune » utilisés par les jeunes filles (morceaux de feuilles de bananiers, boues, morceaux de matelas, haillons, …) posent surtout un vrai problème de santé publique avec un manque d’hygiène et des problèmes infections récurrents.

Not to mention that absenteeism due to menstruation also affects women who will not go to work either.” 

Source @marieclaire 

This cause immediately spoke to us and we immediately decided to launch an operation by appealing to you to act in the short and long term.

 

We offer our help to Blanche in 2 ways:

1/ IN THE LONG TERM!

Create a sanitary towel sewing pattern and its simple instructions ( TUTORIAL + WASHABLE TOWEL PATTERN ) to allow women in Benin to learn how to sew their washable towels and be independent in the future. 

2/ FOR THE SHORT TERM!

Collect as many washable sanitary towels or panty liners as possible throughout the month of March, so that Blanche and her eight colleagues do not arrive empty-handed when they arrive in Benin in July.

 

ZERO WASTE TIP OR RECYCLING POINT

The primary goal of this solidarity sewing challenge is not to make you spend your money, on the contrary. 

We all have a piece of 100% cotton fabric lying around in our closets 😉 

You will tell me how to do it for terry cloth or PUL? 

Well, it's quite simple 😉

We all have terry towels or microfiber cloths that we no longer use; use them. All you need is an absorbent cloth.

As for PUL fabric, you need a waterproof fabric!

If you have an old raincoat lying around that you no longer use, cut it up!

You also have the option of cutting up your old broken umbrella lying around in the entrance 😉 

These scraps will be perfect for sewing your sanitary towels without breaking the bank but will allow you to do a great deed!

Pretty Mercerie is committed to supporting you!

In order to allow as many people as possible to participate, (even if we know that you all have a coupon of 100% cotton fabric lying around at home), Pretty Mercerie is offering you from today, a coupon of 100% cotton fabric in each of your orders over 20 euros during the whole month of March (while stocks last*). 

Pretty Mercerie will also be offering, throughout the month of March, the complete kit for sewing sanitary towels (100% cotton fabric, bamboo sponge, PUL fabric and snap fastener) for all orders over 75 euros (while stocks last*).

I will help you by offering you a simple, clear, practical and easy to sew pattern TUTORIAL + PATTERN WASHABLE TOWEL 

Les filles de l’ONG, l’équipe Pretty Mercerie et moi-même, comptons sur vous <3

PS: This might also be an opportunity for you to start creating your own sanitary towels... who knows!

 

 

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