PRESS RELEASE

Philippine Embassy, Canberra

1 Moonah Place, Yarralumla, ACT 2600
www.philembassy.org.au    *Tel. No. 02-6273-2535*

24 October 2026, CANBERRA - The Philippine Embassy in Australia expressed its support for community-led initiatives promoting women's health and empowerment through its participation in the launch of the Canberra Circle of Women's (CCW) menstrual health initiative, the Luna Kit, held at the Fitters' Workshop in Kingston. The Embassy was represented by Third Secretaries Angela Laurente and Erika Laudencia, and Attaché Ceres Martinez. Mr. David Smith MP, Federal Member for Bean, served as Guest of Honour.

The event was opened by CCW Founder and Chair Carol Mead, who highlighted the organization's commitment to addressing period poverty and improving health and educational outcomes for girls and women in vulnerable communities.

Through its network of volunteers, the CCW provides clothing and essential items for children and babies, produces knitted garments for vulnerable communities through its Knitting Circles, and creates free, reusable and sustainable menstrual health kits through its Sewing Circles.

Designed for use for up to four years, the Luna Kits offer an environmentally sustainable and accessible alternative to disposable menstrual products. To date, CCW has distributed more than 14,000 period kits to communities in Sri Lanka, the Philippines, and Pakistan.

Ms. Micaela Centera, Philippine Coordinator of the CCW programme, shared the organization's work in supporting underserved communities living near landfill sites in the Philippines, as well as children’s homes, orphanages, and maternity organizations. She also introduced the enhanced Luna Kit, which incorporates improved materials and design that enables women to produce reusable menstrual pads for their families and communities, or potentially generate income through their production.

Consistent with CCW's commitment to accessibility and community empowerment, the Luna Kit design is patented and is publicly available to allow community groups to reproduce the kits. Its accompanying educational materials are also adapted to local cultures and made available in local languages.

The Luna Kit includes eight reusable pads designed for different menstrual flow levels, a face washer, soap, a menstrual calendar to help girls understand and track their menstrual cycles, and a waterproof storage bag. Its pads use Zorb Original absorbent fabric, a cellulose-based material designed to provide high absorbency while remaining washable and reusable.

The Philippine Embassy welcomed the initiative and conveyed its appreciation to CCW and its volunteers for their sustained efforts to promote menstrual health and access to essential hygiene products among disadvantaged women and girls in the Philippines. The Embassy also discussed with CCW future areas of collaboration in gender and development initiatives and acknowledged the important role of community organizations in complementing broader efforts to advance women's empowerment and inclusive development.

For more information about the Canberra Circle of Women and its programmes, visit:
https://canberracircleofwomen.com/. - END

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