"Menstruation," says Jessica Gird, "is steeped in silence, myth and misunderstanding."
Gird, co-ordinator of the Midlands Meander Education Project, is one of the driving forces behind a new business, launched last week, that supplies accessible, affordable and environmentally-friendly female hygiene products.
These are nothing new, but the concept behind Pink - as the project is named - is unique.
Pink is a co-operative comprising a sewing group - which works from home making washable, reusable, fabric pads - and sales agents. The female agents double up as education officers, selling the fabric pads made from South African-made biodegradable material and reusable menstrual cups.
The agents are encouraged to sell to friends and family and to hold Tupperware-style parties in their homes.