Sustainable feminine hygiene product leader GladRags announces partnership with Empower Women in Africa to bring educational, economic opportunities to girls and women in rural Africa

Michelle Rivera

PORTLAND, Oregon , February 7, 2012 (press release) – GladRags today announced their partnership with Empower Women in Africa. The combined goal is to bring educational and economic opportunities to girls and women in rural Africa.

GladRags, founded in Portland, OR in 1992, was conceived from the inspiration of the simple utility, earth-friendliness, and comfort of cloth diapers. GladRags quickly grew, and today remains a small company with a big presence, committed to promoting positive attitudes toward menstruation and making the environment a safer, cleaner place.

Empower Women in Africa was founded in February of 2011 with the vision of providing a pathway to education for girls throughout rural Africa. To accomplish their mission, EWA provides scholarships to girls living in poverty and showing promise in the classroom, and by providing reusable cloth menstrual pads so there is not a struggle every month to find sanitary products with limited funds. GladRags will be the exclusive pad donation partner for EWA in 2012.

“In our first year, we have been able to provide scholarships to five girls at Andara Combined School in Namibia,” explains Lori Schippers, founder of EWA. “These scholarships cover every cost that comes along with their education from their school fees, school uniform and even a food stipend for their families when good grades are achieved to encourage the family to take an interest in their daughter’s education.”

Schippers hopes the partnership will double their pad program in its second year, opening up more time to focus on their scholarship program. “The recipients have ranged from an orphanage with Show Mercy International, schools, conferences and after school clubs. We’re very excited about this partnership and look forward to helping make a big difference in the lives of African girls and women.”

“EWA’s work has been instrumental in getting over 2200 cloth menstrual pads to girls in Namibia and Uganda,” says Tracy Puhl of GladRags. “We are proud to partner with EWA to help bring economic and educational opportunities to women and girls in rural Namibia. We believe that education is the key to improving the lives of women and girls in impoverished communities.”

To make a donation or to purchase an Empower Kit, please visit the GladRags donation portal online.

ABOUT GladRags: Inspired by the simple utility, earth-friendliness, and comfort of cloth diapers, GladRags was founded in 1992 in Portland, Oregon. It began as a home based business that quickly outgrew the extra bedroom and moved to its own building. Today, GladRags is still a small company but with a big presence, promoting positive attitudes toward menstruation and making the environment a safer, cleaner place. GladRags can be found in health food stores, natural pharmacies nationwide, and is available for purchase online. To learn more please visit http://www.gladrags.com.

ABOUT Empower Women in Africa and the GladRags Partnership: It was barely over a year ago that Empower Women in Africa’s founder, Lori Schippers, learned about the impact reusable cloth menstrual pads have on girls in Africa. It was GladRags that inspired the start of EWA and the mission they strive to fulfill. And today, they are proud to announce their new partnership with GladRags.

Together they have created an Empower Kit. Each kit costs $22 and will be given to one girl in rural Africa. The kit includes 5 “day pads” (5 base pads and 10 inserts) and one carrying bag. Everything is priced at cost and interested parties can buy straight from their website for Empower Women in Africa. To learn more please visit http://empowerwomeninafrica.com.

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