In his last year as Peace Corps volunteer, James had set up computer labs across multiple schools in the Morogoro regions. One of the schools is run by missionaries: fathers from Kerala, India. We spent some time with the fathers at their retreat outside of Dar, where seven brothers from Zambia, Uganda, Mozambique and Kenya come together for an intensive year of praying as part of their preparation for priesthood. In the spirit of self-sufficiency, they keep cows and ducks, have fruit orchards and a vegetable garden.

Father John* shows us around and we get to admire the curry leave tree and all sorts of other trees which produce leaves and fruits that are used in South Indian cooking. The green fruit hanging from the tree is custard apple, and the yellow round one in the hand is a passion fruit.

(download)

Click here to download:

tanzania-groomed-for-god-cGucttjetErgwGCpAAab.zip (17.32 MB)

Behind the house, we notice some flowers that are left out in the sun to dry.

These are hibiscus flowers and when dried are added to shampoo to die gray hair black. I was surprised to see such indulgence in vanity at a missionary retreat. Father John and the others giggle about Father Paul* and his habit, but don't seem to interfere and leave him his grooming treatment. He hand picks the flowers and leaves them to sun dry.

It seems that pampering themselves is one of the things the fathers don't abstain from. Staying in their dorms, we are given a towel and soap, and are surprised of their choice: Ayu soap, exclusive fragrance soap, with natural lotus oil. “with a special conditioner made for delicate skin keeps your skin soft and moisturized.”

What can be unpacked about this choice of soaps?

One possible explanation might be the following: since they've all decided to live a celibate life, their grooming of course isn't for courtship. But there seems to be a strong connection between maintaining one's appearance as well as displaying cleanliness and spiritual purity. Another aspect: while these vegetarian-raised South Indian fathers have given up many things in their lives for joining the seminary, they seem to have gained something else:eating meat and carving out the luxury to groom themselves.

Or maybe, Ayu is just the cheapest soap out there - the fathers are good at managing a tight budget.

*names as always changed to protect people's privacy

Years ago, a guy friend told me about an additional use scenario for tampons in the Norwegian military: when female soldiers crawl through the mud and wade through mirky waters, they can catch vaginal infections. So, they use tampons for protection.

This was the first time I had heard of the usage of a tampon to prevent things from going in, instead of protecting things from coming out and causing much embarrassing blood stains.

What a great opportunity space to rethink the tampon to not only offer 'leakage protection' but also preventing contamination. Apart from claiming greater comfort and supposedly easier insertion, nothing much has happened in this industry for a while - until I came across these products at my favorite drugstore dm* in Germany in June, 2011.

Extra protection
This kind of tampon is specially designed for women to enable them to go swimming and do exercise in water during their periods.

Health enhancer
This brand pushes the boundaries even further: their tampons not only protect but even promote vaginal health. The brand understands that women who frequently experience vaginal thrush infections are more cautious to use tampons. So they repositioned their brand as vaginal health enhancers. Treated with pro-biotic 'goodness' they claim to add good bacteria to fight off thrush infections caused by bad bacteria. This way, it allows them to tap into the market of non-tampon using women offering them the comfort of using tampons and at the same time fighting off future thrush infections. Does it really work, though?

Bonus: they are made of fibers that have not been bleached and are all natural - reassuring every worry of their customers.

*dm is a drugstore chain in Germany and Austria, currently expanding into Eastern Europe. Beyond great products, dm is known for their employee-friendly management and their sustainability programs. Their founder Goetz Werner bases his approaches on Rudolph Steiner's Anthroposophy. More on his business approaches and focus on the human being here.