and unclean water. Due to menstruation's taboo nature, women and girls dry their cotton pads indoors rather than in the sunlight, which may lead girls to reuse improperly sanitized pads leading to infection. In Somalia, where girls may be absent from school for a week each month due to menstruation, a charity has trained victims of gender based violence to sew re-usable sanitary pads, which are then purchased for distribution to schools in Mogadishu. Days for Girls is a global movement based in the US which supplies girls with kits including reusable cloth pads, sewn by volunteers around the world. Each kit is in a draw-string cloth bag with zip closure plastic bags for clean and used pads and other hygiene needs, and enables the girls to continue their schooling with dignity. Positive aspects Cloth menstrual pads are environmentally friendly and do not contribute to landfill as they are reusable and do not come in or contain plastic packaging. When cloth menstrual pads wear out (after years of use), those made from natural materials can be composted whereas disposable sanitary napkins made from synthetic materials cannot be recycled or composted. An estimated 500–800 years are needed to biodegrade a pad, while tampons take six months to biodegrade. Fewer synthetic chemicals are used by cloth menstrual products than by disposable products. They create less overall waste compared to disposable menstrual products as they can be made from reused materials, including old pillow-cases, old clothes and towels. Some cloth pads use hemp as the absorbent core which is more environmentally friendly to grow when compared with cotton or wood pulp. Organic options, such as pads made of organic cotton grown without pesticides, are available. They can be cleaned in a washing machine or hand-washed. It is claimed, without evidence, that some users have shorter or lighter periods or fewer cramps when using cloth pads as opposed to disposable products. Cloth menstrual pads, like all menstrual pads, do not pose the risk of toxic shock syndrome associated with tampons. Some cloth pad makers run or donate a portion of their proceeds to programs that provide reusable feminine hygiene products (pads or menstrual cups) to girls and women in developing countries so that they can continue to attend school or work while menstruating. The average cloth menstrual pad costs about $10 and can last for years depending on care and use. In the long