"THERE IS NO TOOL FOR DEVELOPMENT MORE EFFECTIVE THAN THE EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN"
KOFI ANNAN
THE PROBLEM
In 2015 UNICEF and the World Health Organization estimated that at least five hundred million women lack sufficient resources to manage their periods. Without menstrual solutions, many girls miss a week of school each month or they drop out for good. Too often these girls resort to transactional sex to make money for pads and tampons. The taboos surrounding menstruation in some cultures can result in complete isolation and lack of support during this challenging transition in every girls life.
THE SOLUTION
La Bom has partnered with The Rafiki Project who are on a mission to empower underprivileged girls worldwide by providing them with sustainable menstrual cups, education and support; giving them the freedom to manage their cycle and body, with ease and dignity whilst helping to keep flushed plastics out of the oceans.
For every bikini set or one piece you buy online, we pledge $20 to the Rafiki Project ; the exact amount needed to provide one girl with a cup as well as education around subjects such as : Unsafe Sex, HIV/STDs, Pregnancy, Human Rights, Gender Roles and Sexual Violence.
This donation also funds long term support for her and those close to her, providing crucial knowledge to parents, boys, teachers, and elders to help break down taboos around menstruation whilst facilitating an even broader support network.
"I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own."
– Audre Lorde
THE RAFIKI PROJECT
AND LA BOM
" I’ve spent a lot of time in South Africa staying with my beloved and formidable cousin Zoe. She works as a researcher in the field of HIV and sexual health and is passionate about tackling taboo subjects through open discussions within the local communities.
During one of our rock climbing missions in the mountains she explained how menstruation is one of these subjects shrouded in shame. It is so hushed up that young girls literally have no idea what is happening to them the day their period arrives. The most harrowing discovery was learning that girls as young as 11 were turning to transactional sex with much older men in order to buy the products needed to cope with their cycles and stay in school.
During those discussions with Zoe, I began to understand the value and power of the freedom I had previously taken for granted; how fortunate I have been to be able to move through the world, largely uninhibited by my natural cycle.
I wanted the business to acknowledge this, to honour this freedom by helping to facilitate it for others. To create an opportunity for Women to empower women, giving them the chance to steer their own ship into the future.”
ATHENE, La Bom founder
