Lunapads

We are excited to give an update on one of two campaigns going on to provide Lunapads to girls in Uganda. Natalie Angell, co-founder and director of the Shanti-Uganda Foundation (based right here in Vancouver, BC) approached us earlier this summer telling us about her work and her trip to Uganda. While we have become well aware of the plight girls in Africa face when menstruating and missing school, we were particularly moved to learn about the challenges women face during birth and were only happy to help Natalie in this area as well. She wrote to us yesterday with this message:To the women at Lunapads, I just wanted to email and thank you for your support in sending us to Uganda with a supply of pads for the girls we support there. I have just updated our blog with some photos of the girls with their new pads and some of the experiences they face each month.

We’re so excited to connect with you and include a lunapad in the new birth kits that Nikiah is putting together to be sold! This is a fabulous project and one that the women and midwives will benefit from! In addition to the birth kits, Shanti Uganda improves the physical, emotional and spiritual health of communities impacted by war, poverty and HIV/AIDS in Uganda . Through the use of yoga, expressive arts therapy and traditional healing, we teach children ways to heal from the inside out. Our programs restore traditional birthing practices in rural communities through education and birth assistance and relieve poverty by supporting income generating initiatives for women with HIV and AIDS. Thanks again for your support and the incredible work that you do for women around the world!

Be well,
Natalie Angell

In part 2, we’ll provide an update about the work Carrie-Jane Williams is doing in Uganda and her delivery of over 50 Lunapads “U-Go-Girl” kits.

My husband received this video the other day courtesy of a friend in the UK and we have enjoyed it several times since. The first time I watched it, I wasn’t sure if it was real or a spoof on an actual incident involving an oil spill off the Australian coast. Not knowing exactly where it came from (other than Australia), I have come to the conclusion that it’s just a brilliant Monty Python-esque spoof on certain people who, let’s say, don’t exactly get it about environmental issues that would be even funnier if it didn’t have some elements of inconvenient truth…enjoy!

Here’s a wonderful letter from an Australian Lunagal. Thanks so much for writing, Jenn!

Dear Lunagals,
I have been thinking of alternatives to disposable menstrual products for a couple of years now, but with family, study and work never got around to doing anything. Anyway, the environment is a pet subject for me and all I kept thinking about was all the horrible landfill that we are drowning under, so to cut a long story short I ended up at Lunapads.com.
Brilliant. Some friends think I’m totally bizarre, not only do I wash my pads, but I collect my period in a cup!!! Admittedly, the Divacup can be a bit confrontational, but I’m committed and love the convenience- I’m working hard on my friends (unfortunately OZ is a still throw-away society). I think I’m making headway with a couple: they’re the ones who grow their veggies, recycle their greywater, collect rainwater and recycle, recycle, recycle (just like me).

My daughter is now 10 and frankly pretty disgusted with the idea of periods, so I’m going to get the teen booklet for her before she starts, to get a positive spin on the whole idea, I also plan on making her first period a celebration (unlike my own dear mum who called it the curse and told me to hide it all from my father and brothers!!!).

Here’s to you ladies, making “women’s business” another normal part of a wonderful life.

Hugs,
Jenn Q., Perth, Australia

While it hasn’t been the best summer (or spring, for that matter!) in this part of the world weather-wise, I must say that I’ve been over the moon with my garden. Being a gardening newbie, I’m still mostly about enthusiasm, with less on the knowledge and experience front, but thanks to good soil and exposure in our yard, I’m having decent success. So far, we’ve had a bumper crop of lettuce, swiss chard, beans, peas, carrots, spinach and a few tasty little strawberries. Leeks and beets are still on their way, and the only thing that has really gone sideways was a few broccoli plants that developed a nasty gray fungus.

But my pride and joy are the tomatoes (above left!). Oh, how I love fresh summer heirloom tomatoes. In prior summers you could find me lurking at one of Vancouver’s farmer’s markets, coveting the weirdest-looking, most obscurely-colored ones. I treat mine like little babies, fussing over and coddling them, picking off any nasty little flies foolish enough to even attempt to sully my lovelies. The funniest thing, though, is that they completely took me by surprise - I just had no idea that they would 1) survive in the first place 2) suddenly become taller than me and therefore need cages or 3) that I would have to think about things like pruning them (which I now do obsessively - look out, suckers!)

It’s currently raining cats, dogs and several other small mammals here and I am fearing for my precious ones - fingers crossed that we see the sun again soon, so the feasting can begin!

I’m a big novel reader (as in large novels, as well as into reading them) and often find myself getting into reading a chain of thematically related books. Trees happen to be this summer’s pick (which fits nicely with my gardening enthusiasm - coincidence??) I’ll have to post another time about the epic chain of dystopic fiction that I consumed while pregnant with my daughter - it was truly weird, but made for great reading.

At any rate, I have recently enjoyed both Richard Preston’s The Wild Trees as well as John Vaillant’s The Golden Spruce, which is unusual for a fiction buff like me. I’m super-picky about writing quality (not that I necessarily have any right to be ;-), and am often disappointed with the quality of non-fiction writing, but in these cases I didn’t really even notice. They’re both gripping stories that contain a lot of great scientific information about trees that provided a good refresher course for me (particularly useful these days, given the number of times I am asked the question “why?” by a certain curious 3 year old) and just generally got me hooked. It’s wonderful to be reminded of what an adventure life can truly be, and yet stunning how little we really understand about the natural world.

The photo above is one I took recently of a beloved giant willow tree that resides at my in-laws farm. When my husband and I bought our house we took a branch from it and it has happily adapted to our back yard. Hug your favorite tree today!

On August 10th, Lunapads summer interns Char and I attended the 19th annual Under the Volcano Festival, at Cates Park in North Vancouver. Under the Volcano is a festival of art and social change, featuring over 30 musicians and workshops, including a Dragonfly Kidz fest for the little ones.

It was a mostly cool and rainy day at Cates Park, but that didn’t stop the Lunagals from checking out the many progressive booths and passionate organizations at the festival. Not to mention the food- there was a great array, almost entirely vegetarian, with many, many vegan options (which was heaven for a dessert lovin’ vegan such as yours truly!).

We found ourselves bobbing our heads to the great music on the main stage without even realizing it! There was DJ Jacob Cino, who fused new school breaks, deep techno, hiphop, jungle, and dancehall; Canadian twin sister’s Tegan and Sarah rocking guitar tunes; Flores de Alegría, Canada’s only all-female mariachi band, playing a variety of instruments, including violins, guitars, basses, vihuelas (a 5 string guitar) and trumpets; and many other talented artists performing every genre of music possible.

A highlight for us was meeting a group of enviro-minded gals from Mexico. They were in town visiting, and have never heard or seen washable menstrual products before. They were amazed by the DivaCup and Lunapads, and stocked up on items for themselves and female loved-ones back home.

With the cool, crisp, misty air in picturesque Cates Park, and tunes that kept us tapping our toes all day long, Char and I agreed that Under the Volcano was one of the highlights of the summer for us Lunagals.

Calling all Vancouver bicycle-riding gals - this sounds like crazy fun! “Clitoral Mass”, (the name is a cheeky pun on the popular cycle-power event Critical Mass) is a women and women-identified bicycle ride celebrating the full moon, the lunar eclipse and women - what’s not to love?!? Top it off with a party, and you’ve got a fine Saturday evening heading your way.

CLITORAL MASS: an all-women and women-identified bicycle ride

What: This is a moderately-paced, safe and resplendent pedal-powered event: non-partisan, pan-denominational fun!
When: Saturday, August 16th: 4:30 meet at the Vancouver Art Gallery, ride departs at 5pm
Where: velo-amble around Vancouver until around 6:30 pm
Who: any and all sisters, mothers, daughters, aunts, babushkas, nieces, gal-friends, belle-soeurs, cousines, etc !
What to Wear: your loveliest lingerie, a cool costume, some super sox and a swimsuit… whatever tickles your fancy and/or fanny
Bring: helmet, water and refreshments, lights and bike lock.

THE ‘AFTER-PARTY’

Where: Rhizome Cafe, at 317 E. Broadway (@Kingsway)
When: 7 pm, to close (midnight)
Who: everyone, all ages and genders
What: FREE entry with suggested donations of $3 - $10 to cover some shared snacks, and equipment rental. An evening of party, door prizes, music and entertainment, great food and drinks - Rhizome has great food and cocktails for a delicious after-ride feast. Bring your appetite and dineiros. Enjoy the great food and bevs along with friends old and new. Learn about cycling and have a great time. Working on getting Bicycle Valet Parking.
Questions? Contact Jennifer Campagnolo: jcampagnolo@shaw.ca

Yesterday, Garret and I ducked out of the office during lunch hour to go downtown and join over a hundred people gathered in protest of an incident a few days ago at H&M. Essentially, Manuela Valle was harassed for breastfeeding her infant daughter in the store while her husband was in the change room. You can read more about the story here. Naturally, the incident sparked an organized ‘nurse-in’ calling for women to come publicly breastfeed their babies at H&M.

I felt I couldn’t miss the chance to show my support and attend the nurse-in and become a lactivist right here in Vancouver. I remember so well the few occasions when I took my first baby shopping with me. I never felt comfortable breastfeeding in the stores for fear of exactly what Manuela went through and resorted to nursing him in change rooms and washrooms. But, second time around, armed with more confidence and a better understanding of my rights, I breastfed Garret in public whenever he needed to be fed. My confidence and understanding is in part thanks to women like Manuela, and dozens of others who have stood up for their (and their baby’s) rights. High profile incidents involving Delta Airlines, Starbucks (who now have teaching notes for their employee training sessions!) and the video below about what Barbara Walters said on The View, have resulted in a nurse-ins at all these corporate headquarters.

It felt so good to be a part of this show of lactivism. Regardless of what people think of breastfeeding and nurse-ins, I think all the resulting media attention is good; if a would-be or new mom sees the story on the evening news or reads it in the paper and becomes more informed, it is all worthwhile. I know it helped me!

Breastfeeding in public needs to be normalized and women deserve to feel confident and rely on their instincts in caring for their babies. After the H&M nurse-in, a lively discussion on the CBC website has ensued. I feel quite sad and angry about many of the recent posts. Yes, breastfeeding can be a very intimate and private experience, but that doesn’t mean women need to be shamed or made to feel uncomfortable while taking care of their babies most important needs. There is nothing sexual about breastfeeding and we (well at least not me, anyways) are not flagrantly baring our breasts to nurse our babies!

On a personal note, nursing Garret at H&M was a bittersweet moment, as I’ve been gradually trying to wean him. (Here is me and Garret chatting with Michelle Hoar of The Tyee, with her daugher Olivia, just before the big ‘latch-on’ moment.) Weaning has been a challenging phase for both of us - on the one hand, after almost 2 years of breastfeeding him, I am ready to close this chapter with him and get more sleep at night and have the freedom to leave him for a few days, but on the other hand, I know he’d like to hang on to his ‘nie nie’ (milk in Chinese) a little longer. I’ve come to terms that weaning him will result in growth for both of us, but it is still hard to deal with emotionally. Learning to breastfeed my babies was one of the most challenging things I’ve ever done, but definitely one of the most rewarding experiences in my life and one that I will treasure forever. I smile everytime I see a breastfeeding mom in public and will fondly remember those precious times with my babies.�

Those of you who have been following this blog for a while will remember Loretta Cella’s spa fundraiser that raised over $1,000 towards Goods 4 Girls Kits which she then distributed in Kiberia, a suburb of Nairobi. Loretta has gone on to create a charitable foundation whose goal is to continue the work of empowerment for girls globally.

She is having a fundraiser for the Passion Foundation next week on August 14th at 7pm at Ceili’s pub in downtown Vancouver. I’m planning to be there, and Lunapads is donating some silent auction items. There will be an exclusive musical performance by local up-and-comer Alida, as well as a ton of other great silent auction items and doubtless a troupe of Loretta’s fabulous friends. For tickets ($10 each including a drink - deal of the century!), call Loretta (604) 710-4480. We’ll hope to see you there!

It’s been just over one year since we moved into our new office, which makes it a good time to pause for a moment to reflect on everything that’s happened in those fleeting 365 days. It’s too much to get into at the moment (I’m thinking that I’ll do a “year in review” post in December.) In the meantime I’ve just posted a bunch of new photos to the photo gallery that tell a longer story, but suffice to say that it’s been busy!

Here’s a shot of the current Lunagals: L-R Suzanne, Goni, Jennifer, Charlene, Morgan and me. Sandra is off for the summer working at an organic fruit orchard in the interior of the province, and Lisa is on the other side of the lens. Enjoy your summers, everyone!