Yarn For Menstrual Health- A Plea To Do More

The Yarn for Menstrual Health campaign became one example of how crochet for charity can raise awareness, support communities, and turn simple stitches into meaningful change.

YarnForMenstrualHealth was an awareness campaign whose aim was to normalize conversations about menstrual health. At the same time, the campaign raised funds to equip girls in need with reusable sanitary kits. Each kit cost $10 and consisted of four reusable pads and washing soap designed to last each girl an entire year.

How Crochet Can Support Causes Like Menstrual Health

Crochet is often seen as a relaxing hobby, but it can also become a meaningful way to serve others. The Yarn for Menstrual Health campaign showed how handmade projects can raise awareness, support fundraising, and start important conversations.

If you enjoy crafting with purpose, you might also like exploring ways crafting can support meaningful causes.

What Is Menstrual Health?

Menstrual hygiene is access to products and amenities used during menses. These include menstrual hygiene products to absorb or collect menstrual blood, privacy to change the materials, and access to facilities to dispose of used menstrual management materials.

Menstrual health is a broader term used to describe both menstrual hygiene and the interventions that link menstruation to other factors. These include health, wellbeing, gender, education, equality, empowerment and rights.

Why Crochet for a Cause Matters

Yarn For Menstrual Health is Haseeta’s baby. She has always wondered how the less privileged manage during their menses. After finding out how people actually got by, she decided to launch the Menstrual Hygiene Campaign in Kenya on 11th October 2020. Her group committed to knitting and crocheting 1,000 hats to raise awareness about the unhygienic and challenging conditions many schoolgirls across Kenya experienced during their periods.

After featuring Haseeta on December’s Issue of Shuhuda: Our Stories, I offered some suggestions. I believe that people with periods deserve more information, resources, and options. This is how Haseeta and I along with the African Girl Foundation teamed up to run the Yarn For Menstrual Health Campaign.

According to a report by FSG at the time, about 65% of women and girls in Kenya could not afford sanitary pads. In addition, menstruation was often tied to broader issues of gender inequity. For example:

• Two out of three pad users in rural Kenya received pads from sexual partners.
• One in four girls did not associate menstruation with pregnancy.

By normalizing conversations about menstruation, the campaign helped bring the topic out of the shadows. It created space for open dialogue where people could ask questions, receive accurate information, and advocate for better menstrual health support.

How People Took Part?

1. #YarnForMenstrualHealth

Participants were invited to:

1. Crochet or knit a maroon or red hat.
2. Take a photo wearing the hat and share it on social media.
3. Share their menstrual health story or thoughts about improving menstrual health using the hashtag #YarnForMenstrualHealth.
4. Include a link to the campaign post so others could learn more.

The campaign was open to everyone. If participants did not have a red or maroon beanie, they could:

• Use any colored beanie and add two lines of red or maroon if it was handmade.
• Add a red or maroon star applique if the beanie was store-bought.

The goal was to spark conversations and encourage openness around menstruation.

2. Signed up To Keep The Conversation Going.

A Google Sheet sign-up system was created so participants could select specific days to post about menstrual health.

This approach helped ensure that conversations about menstrual health continued throughout the campaign instead of fading over time. With people sharing daily reflections and experiences, awareness stayed active throughout the campaign and beyond.

3. Donations

Donations were voluntary, and every contribution made a difference.

Although a single kit cost $10, people could donate any amount they wished. All donations were directed to the African Girl Foundation to support the production and distribution of reusable sanitary kits.

Participants could also pledge a portion of their product sales toward the campaign.

The goal was to equip 1,000 girls with reusable sanitary kits.

4. Sponsorship

Several generous designers and businesses supported the campaign by donating proceeds from their crochet patterns and products. Their contributions helped extend the reach of the project and raise funds for menstrual health kits.

Several designers and businesses supported the campaign by donating pattern proceeds to help fund menstrual health kits:

• Morine’s Shop – donated $1 for every beanie pattern purchased
• Magdalena of Woolly Gear – donated proceeds from the Tide Beanie pattern (Feb–May 28, 2021)
• Naana of NoraRose Designs – donated proceeds from her red hat and pattern during May 2021
• Kelsie of Crafting for Weeks – donated proceeds from the Imani Beanie pattern and pre-ordered beanies
• Andrea of YarnAndy – donated half the proceeds from the Crimson Drop Beanie pattern
• Jo of Jo’s Crafty Hook – donated $3 per purchase of the Wattle Stitch Beanie pattern

Together, these contributions helped turn simple stitches into practical support for girls in need.

Campaign Impact

By the end of the campaign in May 2021:

• 1,000 hats were crocheted and knitted to raise awareness.
• 220 girls received reusable sanitary kits.

The campaign concluded on May 28th, 2021, leaving behind an important reminder that creative communities can play a powerful role in social awareness and change.

Why Crafting Campaigns Like This Matter

Craft-based awareness campaigns work because they combine creativity with storytelling. When people create something with their hands, they naturally become more invested in the cause behind it.

In the case of the Yarn for Menstrual Health campaign, crocheting and knitting hats gave people a simple, tangible way to participate in an important conversation. Each hat represented more than yarn and stitches—it became a symbol of dignity, education, and support for girls who might otherwise miss school during their menstrual cycles.

Crafting campaigns also make it easier for people across different countries and communities to participate. Whether someone contributed by crocheting a hat, purchasing a pattern, sharing the campaign online, or donating funds, each action played a role in raising awareness and supporting menstrual health initiatives.

Other Ways Crochet Can Support Causes

Crocheters often use their skills to serve others by:

• Donating handmade items to hospitals or shelters
• Supporting fundraising campaigns through pattern sales
• Creating crochet projects for charity drives
• Raising awareness for important social issues

If you’d like more ideas, read 5 Simple Ways You Can Use Crafting for Social Change.

A Final Reflection

Looking back, the Yarn for Menstrual Health campaign showed how creativity can become a form of service. Through crochet, conversation, and community, we helped raise awareness and support girls who needed menstrual health resources.

Projects like this continue to remind me that creativity can also be an expression of faith in action—using our skills to serve others with compassion.

If you enjoy the connection between creativity and faith, you may also enjoy exploring my crochet devotionals and reflections.

Who Are The Organisers Of This Campaign?

As featured on:

1. MomBoss Kenya Magazine February-March 2021 Issue
2. LoveCrafts