We care - We confront the taboo topic
Have you ever hidden a tampon in your hand on the way to the toilet? Or have you ever had to listen to someone say something stupid about your period?
These everyday situations show us that periods are still stigmatised. It is a taboo that you are not allowed to talk about. Something to be ashamed of.
Why is this a big problem?
Even today, millions of people around the world are marginalised and discriminated against because they menstruate. They often have no access to sanitary facilities or sufficient hygiene products and stay at home out of shame. This reduces educational opportunities and subsequently harms health through poor hygiene. In this way, children and adolescents learn to be ashamed of their periods from an early age.1
If you think that this only affects the global south, we're sorry to disappoint you. For almost a quarter of menstruators in Germany, their period is a financial problem. Every 5th menstruating person out of 1,000 respondents in Germany did not know what was happening to their body during their first period.2 Until 2020, period products were even taxed at the same rate as caviar. Yet the menstrual cycle is a normal biological function. Ovulation, the menstrual phase, the natural fluctuations of hormones are all things that tell us about our health and well-being.
What the CARE in SELENACARE stands for
Bringing the change we all want to see in the world.
- Periods are not a luxury.
Menstrual hygiene products must be affordable and accessible for all people with periods. This is the only way to make equality possible for all. By ordering large quantities for our retail partners, we can keep prices as affordable as possible for our customers, even with high quality. With regular discount campaigns and competitions, everyone has the chance to get access to sustainable period products. - Products that make sense
We make reusable period products a matter of course. Most period products are disposable and contribute to the waste problem through plastic packaging (read more at sustainability). With our sustainable range, we offer a real alternative that not only makes intimate hygiene more comfortable, but also gives back a bit of freedom. - Empathy and gender equality
From weak to strong, unexpected to delayed - every menstruating person should be able to spend their period as comfortably as possible. We therefore address not only women, but all menstruating persons regardless of their gender identity. We are here for everyone. After all, there are even bigger taboos than the period that restrict many people in their everyday lives. Bladder weakness or incontinence can occur in any age group and affects more than 10 million people. Through education and advice, we want to eliminate uncertainties and gaps in knowledge in our guidebook and in social media. In this way, we can eliminate unjust prejudices and promote a positive approach to our bodies.
We support others
SELENACARE supports schools (Strawberry Week, Ready for Red) as well as midwives. In addition, we help specifically where it is needed within the framework of special projects and campaigns. Here is an excerpt from our activities.
Support for schools
In our home country Austria, menstruation is still a taboo subject, as it is almost everywhere in the world. With the common goal of breaking this taboo and enabling young people to gain sound knowledge about periods, we started a partnership with Erdbeerwoche in 2018.
The social business from Vienna specialises in menstruation and provides knowledge on the topic of menstruation and - like us - wants to trigger a change in awareness in society. Together with the team from Erdbeerwoche, we have developed a special edition of the SELENACARE menstrual cup. The proceeds from this go to the educational initiative Ready for Red.
With Ready for Red, young people learn everything they need to know about menstruation via a digital learning platform. The platform was developed by Erdbeerwoche in cooperation with over 500 young people, (sex) educators, gynaecologists and other experts. Here, educators can request a box with illustrative material free of charge. We support this with sustainable products from our range.
Support for midwives
We know that sustainable period products need explanation, especially for beginners. For information and advice purposes, we offer a special price to health experts and medical professionals (certified midwives, gynaecologists, etc.). Through close exchange with these experts, we can optimally adapt our products to the needs of our customers.
Projects and actions
Train of Hope, Vienna
Since the beginning of March 2022, Train of Hope has been providing acute aid, first aid and care for people seeking protection from Ukraine. In the arrival centre, hygiene products were urgently needed. Thus, we donated 43,997 period products from our assortment to the Refugee Aid Vienna.
To the website: http://www.trainofhope.at/
Bright English Medium School, Tanzania
Luisa is a volunteer at a school in Arusha, Tanzania. Together with the NGO Bright Medium School, she advocates for educational opportunities and community support projects. In August 2022, she and her boyfriend took washable pads and period underwear to Tanzania.
Go to website: http://www.brightmediumschool.org/
MATCH Foundation, Malawi
Annika and her friend in Malawi support the MATCH Foundation in Malawi. The non-profit organisation aims to empower children through education, sports and mentoring programmes. In a workshop with 90 pupils at Pheleni Secondary School in Lilongwe, SELENACARE menstrual cups were presented and given away together with teachers.
Go to website: https://www.match-foundation.com/
Elimu Mwangaza, Tanzania
Lucia is doing her internship in Tanzania with the organisation Elimu Mwangaza for her studies. In her exchanges with local women*, she learned that menstruation is a huge challenge, as they are hardly available and very expensive. At the end of March 2022, she was able to support the local community with period underwear.
Go to website: https://elimumwangaza.org/
1https://www.unicef.org/mena/stories/making-period-stigma-history
2PlanInternational Deutschland e. V.: Menstruation in focus (2022) https://www.plan.de/fileadmin/website/04._Aktuelles/Kampagnen_und_Aktionen/Menstruationsumfrage/Plan-Umfrage_Menstruation-A4-2022_final.pdf