Pad Project 2026 Kickoff!

On a rainy Saturday at the GZ Buchegg, a group of volunteers joined together to help launch

the Zharity Pad Project for 2026—entering its fourth year and continuing to support our

partner school, Nicolas Robinson School in Mekele, Ethiopia.

With three tables filled, we were introduced to the importance of this program for school-

aged girls. Period poverty, inaccessibility to menstrual products through either lack of

supplies or finances to purchase, means that girls are more likely to miss several days of

learning per month. This cycle leads to an accumulation of absences during the school year.

Next, we were given easy-to-follow instructions—ensuring even the least crafty amongst us

could get the job done with ease—and with that, the fun began. At our work stations, we

found towels, fabric, tracing chalk, markers and stencils. We worked together outlining and

cutting, while chatting to our neighbours or listening to the goings-on around us. The café

had beverages and snacks available to purchase for those needing an afternoon pick-me-

up.

With our time up at 4 o’clock, the scraps and randoms cuttings were cleaned off the tables,

the lint rollers handed around to remove pesky bits of fluff from our clothes, and the material

prepped for the sewers to get everything to completion.

In two hours, our group had cut 267 pads worth of cotton, over 60 water resistant fabric

pieces and enough towel material for 200 pads (using two pieces per pad), demonstrating

what can be accomplished in a short amount of time when we come together.

We would love to call on any sewers to volunteer with this project. If you have a sewing

machine and prefer to work from home, you can sign up to receive pad materials HERE. If

you’d rather sew in a group or don’t have a machine, join one of the Zharity Community

Sewing sessions hosted by Knit Sew at their studio in Zollikerberg.