Mamma's Laef Charitable Trust
Mammas Laef empowers women in Vanuatu by providing sustainable menstrual products, creating social enterprise & breaking menstruation taboos
Nelson / Tasman
Your donation to Mamma’s Laef Charitable Trust will enable women of all ages to receive, made-in-Vanuatu, reusable sanitary pads which last 3 years; alongside menstrual health education sessions. Your donation will be used in the supply of packs of pads ($25 per pack) for distribution to women of all ages in communities across Vanuatu. Since 2016, Give A Little fundraising has already donated 200 packs.
Many females in Vanuatu are unable to join in daily activities when they are menstruating. Girls stay away from school, women are unable to prepare food for the family and some women are sent to separate houses to rest in, away from the family. Some of the cultural taboos around menstruation make it difficult for women to fully reach their potential. Mamma’s Laef may not be able to change all of those but what we can do is, provide women with dignity during menstruation, by supplying her with environmentally friendly appropriate menstrual products.
Your donation will help us to give ni Vanuatu women access to quality and clean menstrual products. Products which are sustainable, environmentally friendly and being made in their own country, therefore increases economic outcomes too. Locals providing menstrual health education is a gamechanger, empowering women to take control of their lives.
More about us
Mamma’s Laef is the result of a question which was asked by Belinda Roselli (the Founder), in the wake of Cyclone Pam (March 2015). “In times of natural disaster in Vanuatu, what do women use for their monthly period?”
During 6 months of research, the answer became clear; menstrual pads were not easily accessible at any time for many rural living women in Vanuatu, resulting in women of all ages, not being able to fully participate in daily activities. Alongside the lack of menstrual resources, were the cultural taboos and confusing messages about menstrual health.
A partial solution was developed in Vanuatu; a locally managed group who sew reusable sanitary pads, that are cost-effective, convenient, comfortable and eco-friendly. The second important factor was later introduced; during delivery of pads in communities, the Mamma’s Laef team, chatted about menstrual health.
As a result of being awarded recognition in the Frontier Innovators programme in (DFAT) in 2018, Mamma’s Laef Charitable Trust was formed, to formally support the development of Mamma’s Laef Vanuatu (a ni-Vanuatu owned and operated social enterprise, trading as a business). Together the two entities have a VISION to be “Supporting women to control their future”. Our Mission Statement describes how we do this; “Mamma’s Laef empowers women by providing sustainable menstrual products, creating social enterprise, and breaking taboos about menstruation.”
Funds raised by Give A Little are tagged to be used in the supply of packs of pads for distribution to women of all ages in communities across Vanuatu.
Other page links
Latest update
Signing Off 5 May 2022
Our natural end has arrived.
The Mamma's Laef Charitable Trust will be officially closing in June 2022.
Final donations via this site will be during the month of May 2022.
Our job is more or less completed.
Border closures have delayed some important aspects as to the next part of the journey for Mamma's Laef Vanuatu, but we are hopeful that an official handover will be able to take place on a face to face basis some time in the near future.
The last of the donations received via this site in 2021 and 2022 will be added to a significant donation which was made by a caring New Zealander. This will provide for approximately 400 school girls, female teachers and staff to receive our Vanuatu Made reusable menstrual pads.
This is a fantastic way to wrap up the work of the Charitable Trust.
THANK YOU for the support, financially and otherwise that you have provided to us, so we could enable the wonderous works that Mamma's Laef Vanuatu has been completing, and will continue to complete.
To read Belinda's farewell on behalf of the Trust, follow this link https://www.mammaslaef.com/signing-off/
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