Women in third-world countries face a stark reality during menstruation. Where periods are considered taboo and hygiene products are inaccessible, they are isolated from school and work, often relegated to sit on buckets in tents or forced to utilize leaves, newspaper or other unsanitary means to serve as makeshift pads.
Their segregation from social, educational and economic settings every month often results in job loss and dropping out of school.
One group of women at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in New Holland is working to change that, one handmade pad at a time.
The Pad-Making Sisters gather each week to assemble LuoPads. These reusable sanitary napkins made of terrycloth and flannel are a project of UNTO, a global logistics center in Mount Joy that distributes humanitarian aid to people around the world.
Kathy Baker, one of the coordinators of the Pad-Making Sisters group, said when she first learned about UNTO’s efforts and the need for volunteers, she knew it would be a good fit to get ladies of her parish involved.
“My heart went out when I heard about women who have to sit on buckets in tents when they menstruate. These pads give them dignity,” she said.
The Pad-Making Sisters started at Our Lady of Lourdes in 2022 and have assembled nearly 7,000 LuoPads.
The hum of sewing machines and the rhythmic snip of fabric scissors echo from the parish center as the ladies gather every Thursday morning after 9 a.m. Mass.
Their workspace is efficiently staged. Some volunteers trace and cut out strips of terrycloth that are run through a serger to form the inside padding. Other ladies sew the flannel pieces that form the pad’s outer shell. The final step is a rounded topstitch that secures the terrycloth to the flannel. The pads are then sent to UNTO, where snaps are attached for added security.
Luo is Greek for “to set free.” The Pad-Making Sisters say there’s no better word for the feminine hygiene product they’re cutting and sewing.
“We take so much for granted. I can’t imagine what the women we’re helping must go through. If we can assist them in some way, I am happy to help,” parishioner Trudy Draver said.
“Our pads are the most requested item in third-world countries. Our ladies here are committed to restoring dignity and hope to the women and girls we serve through this ministry,” said Flo Rice, who coordinates the effort with Baker.
UNTO delivers 6,000 pads at a time to recipients in various countries. Each woman receives eight pads, two pairs of underwear and a washcloth. They also learn about hygiene and the beauty and dignity of women.
With proper care and washing, one LuoPad can be reused for several months.
“I think all of us ladies feel that we are enriched by the fact that we’re touching and making something that is going to be used by another woman to better her life and give her dignity. This is empowering women with simple, basic needs,” Rice said.
The Pad-Making Sisters are united in service and in fellowship.
“We start each meeting with a prayer, asking God that he will bless the women who receive the pads and bless our hands in making them,” said Lynn Rodgers.
“The Lord has asked us to take care of one another, and I enjoy coming here every week to do the Lord’s work. We’ll never meet the women who are receiving the pads, but that doesn’t matter. We send our love and prayers to them anyway,” she said.
The Pad-Making Sisters assemble the LuoPads at no cost to the parish. UNTO provides instructions and materials and completes the final snaps and serging of the terrycloth strips, although the Pad-Making Sisters recently received a grant to purchase their own serger machine and they welcome donations of new or gently used terrycloth.
“This is a ministry that is important to me, and I’m glad to be part of it. When we send the finished pads to UNTO, I feel like I am touching the world,” Baker said.
Learn more about the Pad-Making Sisters at https://ourladyoflourdesnh.com/pm-sisters-pad-making-sisters/ or by contacting Kathy Baker at KB1clown@gmail.com. Information about UNTO’s LuoPad project can be found at www.unto.com/womens-health.
(Photos by Jen Reed, The Catholic Witness.)
By Jen Reed, The Catholic Witness
