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Culture
Talking to Men and Boys about Sustainable Menstruation
So, why talk with men and boys about menstruation? The answer is simple: because one-sided conversations are not as effective as a two-way dialogue when it comes to change-making! Boys and men are the other part of our population and thus need to be involved in...
How to talk to your parents about switching to cloth pads!
*As I’m speaking from personal experience this article mentions moms. However, I do want to acknowledge that fathers too have a valuable opinion. No one ever forgets the day they pulled down their pants and saw blood in their underwear. If you’re female...
“Period. End of Sentence.” And the beginning of more questions…
“Period. End of Sentence.” A 26 minute documentary that looks at women in an Indian village who are donated a sanitary pad-making machine. More recently, the film is making waves for having won an Oscar. source Clearly, it is changing times in India...
The Language of Menstruation
"It is important to examine the language we use, or the language that we have been forbidden to use, and question how it is instrumental in constructing how we think about our body and self....When we don’t talk about menstruation, when we emphasise the...
Unlearning Menstruation: Men in Menstruation
Men in menstruation – are we addressing the elephant in the room? Conversations with men can reveal a lot... “Women never include us in menstruation matters. They talk in whispers and codes all the time” “A woman is impure during menstruation. I will not touch my wife...
Unlearning Menstruation: From Padman to Padpeople
Continuing the conversation Padman: it hardly needs an introduction. The film, inspired by the life of Arunachalam Muruganantham, has punched a long overdue, pad sized hole in a subject typically defined by shame and silence: menstruation. After discovering...
Eco Femmes’ guide to Period Tracking Apps
This guide to period tracking apps was written on the day of Saraswati (or Ayudha) Puja, celebrated all across India. As the mythological story goes, on this day the Goddess Saraswati created powerful weapons to kill the demon ‘Magishasuran’. These weapons were then...
Eco Femme in Ladakh
From 5th - 20th July 2017, Kathy Walking, Nikethana Venkatesan and Mamta Kandari represented Eco Femme, Auroville on a visit to Zanskar Valley, Ladakh in collaboration with Roots Collective, an NGO based in Ladakh. The organisations Zanskar Adventure Point and Roots...
Spanish week
Our newest volunteer, Ximena, is from Argentina...so we decided to have a Spanish week! She shares her personal experiences below. Stay tuned over on our social media all week to learn more! Bienvenid@s a la Semana en Español! Nos alegramos de compartir e intercambiar...
GST – what does it mean?
You may have heard the acronym 'GST' being used extensively over the past month or so, especially if you live here in India. Goods and Services Tax (GST) is an indirect tax applicable throughout India which replaced multiple cascading taxes levied by the...
#ThePadEffect Campaign
From the 1st - 28th May (Menstrual Hygiene Day) we participated in #ThePadEffect campaign lead by Feminism In India (FII) to create more awareness about the harmful effects of disposable, plastic menstrual products and the benefits of switching to sustainable options....
How to take care of your cloth pads during the seasonal showers.
In India, who doesn't love a good shower of rain? But we understand that it poses a challenge to using cloth pads as we recommend drying them under the sun or in the open. Here are a couple of suggestions and practical tips that can help in the process of...
ALL HAIL QUEEN ECO FEMME: The enterprise encouraging women to leak chic in a country of contradiction
India is a melting pot of differences; twenty-nine states, seven union territories, six major religions, twenty two official languages, and dry, desert climates alongside months of monsoon(1). Although existing in vague harmony(2), a kaleidoscope nation like this...
Comical Menstrual Music
Need a laugh? Want to learn the benefits of menstrual cups? Curious about what menopause is? Check out these humourous, melodious messages! Lena D - Period Piece: Tampon vs Mooncup rap battle: Ellen Dolgen - Menopause Mondays:
Sanitary Napkin Revolution- Does India need it?
In 2015, author and menstrual health educator Sinu Joseph posted a provocative blog on Swarajya online magazine titled “Why India doesn't need the sanitary napkin revolution”. Is it that simple? Yes to revolution or no? Joseph’s article raises...
My Womb, My Mother Earth
Last Friday, an workshop took place at the Eco Femme headquarters in collaboration with Dhartimata Sustainable Workshop entitled My Womb, My Mother Earth. Hsiu Ping Lin of Dhartimata and Bonte Handmade Jewelry explains her project: "It started with a very simple idea...
Why Track Your Menstrual Cycle?
Another informative article from Jane about how much we can learn by tracking our menstrual cycles, shared with thanks from her blog, The Moon and the Womb. Menstrual cycle charts such as the one found in Eco Femme’s ‘make your own cloth pad’ kits are a really...
The Beauty of Red
Menstrupedia's wonderful video. "There are many girls who step into puberty not knowing that their bodies are the most beautiful vessels, with the power to bring forth humanity". - Menstrupedia.com
Hands off those pickles, lady!
Carrot, gooseberry, mango, lemon, onion, lime, cucumber...ah, pickles and chutneys. Salty, spicy and savory, these compulsory condiments are essential to enjoying any South Indian tali, and innumerable dishes throughout all of India. When a village woman is...