Dignity Dreams

Let me say upfront that I have known Sandra for almost 21 years. She originally thought I was the curtain lady so was polite and gave the curtain lady the most heart warming smile!

Since then she has filled my life with laughter. Nobody works harder for a good cause. When Sandra told me about Dignity Dreams I didn’t pay too much attention – she was drinking tea and I was drinking Red Wine (maybe that’s why). And then inevitably I paid attention.

December is always Lola Montez’s Charity Month. All the proceeds from our Mistress for Christmas Party will this year go to Dignity Dreams. And if you have any of the items lying around please feel free to donate them as well.

If you go to the Dignity Dreams website – www.dignitydreams.com you will see their very humble wish list.

You can also follow them on Facebook

Wish list

·         Sewing machines

·         Over lockers

·         Electric cutters

·         Scissors

·         Colourful polycotton

·         Polyester towelling

·         Sewing cotton

·         Press stud machines

·         Ziplock bags for soiled goods

·         Sponsor our Educational Book

·         Office stationary – paper, postage, cartridges 

The Dignity Dreams Story

‘No Pads = No School’

It’s hard for you and I to imagine that there are 2.1 million young girls, between the ages of 12 and 18 years (living below the poverty line in South Africa), who have to resort to using old clothes, rags, newspapers, leaves, bark and grass because they cannot afford sanitary towels.

The result, according to UNICEF, is that 1 in every 10 schoolgirls in Africa miss classes or drop out of school completely.

Girls who cannot afford pads or tampons miss approximately 5 days of school a month, which amounts to 60 missed school days a year.

There are many aspects that link girls’ attendance to their menstrual cycles. The lack of affordable sanitary products for girls and women keeps them at a disadvantage in terms of education when they are young and prevents their mobility and productivity as women.

Dignity Dreams goal:

Every girl in South Africa deserves access to safe and hygienic sanitary products. Our goal is to help girls / women reclaim the dignity that poverty denies them and enable girls to make a lasting and positive impact on the communities they live in and society as a whole - they will complete high school, will be less likely to get HIV / AIDS or fall pregnant before 18 and will likely earn higher wages and successfully educate their own children.

Their solution:

The solution? ‘Dignity Dreams’ reusable sanitary pads. Reusable sanitary pads are a sustainable resource, allowing girls to wash and reuse them rather than having to buy disposable sanitary pads every month. In addition, they are inexpensive and environmentally friendly. The social benefit of this concept can greatly mitigate the disadvantages many disempowered girls endure during their process of maturing.

Environmental Impact:

‘Dignity Dreams’ reusable sanitary pads are environmentally friendly. Disposable sanitary pads take up to 500 years to disintegrate and are either sent to landfills or go through the sewage system and end up polluting the ocean and beaches.

Tackling Unemployment:

We are very proud of our contribution to lower unemployment - we employ unskilled women in Pretoria, thereby transferring skills and contributing to their economic empowerment.

Helping the poor:

Pads and tampons are too expensive for those earning less than R500 a month. The average pad / tampon costs R1.50, the average girl / woman uses 25 sanitary products during one period = R37.50 per month, R450.00 per year and R900.00 for 2 years. ‘Dignity Dreams’ packs cost R80.00 for 2 years - a saving of R820.00.

‘Dignity Dreams’ packs: 

 ‘Dignity Dreams’ reusable sanitary towels are available in beautiful, feminine packs because every girl deserves to feel confident with what they wear.

Dignity Dreams Pack includes:

o    1 x Drawstring polycotton bag

Made out of colourful polycotton

o    6 x Washable, absorbent pads

A Dignity Dreams pad has a number of layers:

§  2 layers of absorbent towelling

§  1 layer waterproof plastic

§  1 layer polycotton

The pad’s wings are made out of colourful polycotton with a thin layer of plastic between the two layers for extra protection.

Dignity Dreams pads are one size fits all.

o    3 x Panties

You don’t need to buy special panties to use our Dignity Dreams sanitary towels. Dignity Dreams Pads can be worn with ANY pair of panties! It will fit any size or type, except for thongs.

Panties are available in S, M, L, XL.

o    1 x Instruction sheet

Explains how to use the package, as well as directions for wash.

o    1x Plastic bag

A plastic bag is put into every Dignity Dreams pack. This is used to keep soiled pads safe until you are able to wash them.

Watch Sandra on Morning Live - YouTube

Please donate today!