The Shared Threads initiative, based in Belfast NOrthern Ireland, makes cloth period pads from second hand cotton and donates them to people who need them. There is a network of volunteers who cut second-hand donated fabric (towels and cotton), pin them into place, sew the pads and the pad holders together, and pack them into handmade drawstring bags. The packs are then used by local charities and also sent to a charity in India who distribute them to girls who would otherwise have no way to manage their period. These packs are enabling young girls at home and across the world to stay in education, thus helping to remove the taboo of menstruation.
The South Belfast volunteer group is a 13 strong collaboration of mostly women who work together to reuse fabric and create an invaluable resource for people who need it. We are helping to keep useful fabric and textiles out of landfill and maintain a circular process of making something useful and valuable from our communities donated items.