The provision of menstrual cups to vulnerable women and girls from marginalised and disadvantaged communities is CSR under Mara Expeditions.

The company initiated a CSR programme to cater for vulnerable girls and women in arid areas. The challenge of buying pads and tampons every month is real in those areas. We opted to educate them about menstrual hygiene, encourage the use of the cups, and donate and distribute the cups as a sustainable solution. We noticed that the school-going girls missed classes on a regular basis due to this. With our little income, we are donating to small groups with a bigger vision of bringing every vulnerable case on board in the near future.

A menstrual cup is a type of reusable feminine hygiene product. It’s a small, flexible funnel-shaped cup made of rubber or silicone that you insert into your vagina to catch and collect period fluid. Cups can hold more blood than other methods, leading many women to use them as an eco-friendly alternative to tampons. Depending on your flow, you can wear a cup for up to 12 hours.

The cups have worldwide acceptance. Many women choose to use menstrual cups because:

They’re budget-friendly.

• You pay a one-time price for a reusable menstrual cup, unlike tampons or pads, which have to be continually bought and can cost upward of $100 a year.

• Menstrual cups are safer. 

• Because menstrual cups collect rather than absorb blood, you’re not at risk of getting toxic shock syndrome (TSS), a rare bacterial infection associated with tampon use.

• Menstrual cups hold more blood. 

• A menstrual cup can hold about one to two ounces of menstrual flow. Tampons, on the other hand, can only hold up to a third of an ounce.

• They’re eco-friendly. 

• Reusable menstrual cups can last a long time, which means you’re not contributing more waste to the environment.

• You can wear a cup with an IUD.

• The menstrual cup can be worn with an IUD although it was believed that it could dislodge the IUD. 

The advantages of a menstrual cup.

1. Reusable The menstrual cups can be used for up to {10yrs} ten years. This saves money for buying tampons/ pads every month.
2. Time It can be worn for up to {12hrs} twelve hours before it needs to be emptied. This saves time compared to changing a tampon/ pad every 4-8 hours.
3. Safe It does not contain chemicals found in tampons/ pads such as bleach and dioxin. The cups are environmentally friendly and reduce the waste that finds itself in landfills and blocks the drainage systems.
4. Odourless Menstrual fluids develop an odour when exposed to air. The cups eliminates this and increase self-confidence. Eliminates stigma attached to the odour.
5. Comfy Unlike tampons, the cups do not dry the vagina. This preserves the healthy bacteria that protect from vaginal infections. Most women report that they do not even feel the cup when properly in place.