Miss. Shirley Korave, the CEO of QueenPads presents the hygiene packs to Mr. Klomes – Photo credit QueenPads
Specially designed reusable menstrual hygiene pads donated for women of Suki Fly Gogo Trust region, South Fly district Western Province.
All this happened when a Facebook post of Suki baskets being exchanged for items of necessity went viral. “The response was much bigger than we expected”. Mr Jack Klomes, OTDF Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, who made the FB post told the Fly Breeze.
Mr. Klomes said it all began when a work colleague established the OTDF WaSH pilot project in Pukaduka 1 village of Suki in South Fly. He said OTDF WaSH officer Mr. Shedrick Diou came across the unique Suki baskets made from reeds and vines extracted from specific orchids. Noticing the proximity of Pukaduka 1 Village in South Fly to the nearest town and the low cash flow in the village, Mr. Diou came up with a great idea of collecting baskets from the mothers from Pukaduka Village in exchange for items they chose instead of cash.
Liaising with his friends and family, he (Shedrick) brought several baskets over during his break, each basket with a short note from the basket weaver listing items that she wanted in exchange for the baskets. His first return from leave was a success. He returned with items and distributed them when he visited Pukaduka 1 village for work.
Upon learning of this initiative, Mr Klomes shared this initiative on his personal Facebook page. He said: “I put up a post on my wall on the 29th of August, 2022. Miss. Shirley Korave, the CEO and Founder of QueenPads, sighted the post and offered to donate 50 reusable Menstruation Hygiene Kits as part of Queenpads Menstrual Health Campaign and Awareness for the Suki women. While on break in Madang, I received the Menstruation Hygiene Kits on behalf of the OTDF WaSH Team in October.”
The products are made and distributed by Queenpads in Port Moresby, which is an organisation Miss Shirley Korave founded specialising in Women’s Menstrual Hygiene. The product is an environmentally friendly reusable pad that is made with fabric that is quick to dry and could last up to 5 years if used correctly.
Mr. Klomes says the donation is timely and will go a long way in assisting the OTDF WaSH Team as part of their initiative to promote Women’s Menstrual Hygiene, a key WaSH Program indicator under the OTDF WaSH Program.