Menstruation and periods are intrinsically linked to human rights and dignity. Not having access to proper care, education and facilities is period poverty. 

Lack of Proper Menstruation Care

Approximately three to eight years of a person’s life is spent menstruating. A lack of proper care can prevent women and girls from enjoying even their most basic human rights. 

In some regions and cultures across the world, misconceptions about menstruation have excluded women and girls from public life. Women and girls with periods face more vulnerability than women and girls who have not begun menstruation. In some societies, girls getting their periods are perceived as ready for marriage and childbirth, making them more vulnerable than they were beforehand. 

Women and girls may not have equal access to health and sanitation as their male counterparts. In developing countries with high rates of poverty or ongoing crises, there may not be safe and clean facilities for menstruating persons to use. Additionally, they may not have access to the supplies they need for their periods. 

What is Period Poverty? 

Approximately 1.9 billion people are currently menstruating worldwide. Out of this group, about 500 million face period poverty. Period poverty, according to the American Medical Women’s Association, is “inadequate access to menstrual hygiene tools and education, including but not limited to sanitary products, washing facilities and waste management.” Period poverty is a global issue, but its impacts are disproportionately affecting developing countries, where economic or humanitarian crises and existing poverty make access to sanitary products and menstrual pads challenging. On average, women and girls use around 9,000 sanitary products throughout their lives. The lack of access to menstrual hygiene products can have serious consequences for women and girls. It forces them to resort to unhygienic materials, leading to health problems. Consequently, many have to miss school or work due to the absence of access to these products.

Days for Girls

Days for Girls is a global nonprofit that works towards providing sanitary menstrual products and eliminating the stigma that women and girls face for having periods. The organization started in 2008 when the founder, Celeste Mergens worked with a foundation in Kenya. Mergens learned that many girls at the orphanage would sit on pieces of cardboard in their rooms for several days each month that they had their period. They would be isolated from others and only receive food if someone brought it to them. 

The initial solution to this problem was disposable pads. However, these pads were not sustainable, as the women and girls had no proper means of disposal. Subsequently, Mergens and her team devised a sustainable solution — washable and long-lasting pads that did not need disposal after a single use.

Days for Girls is headquartered in the United States (U.S.), with additional offices in Guatemala, Nepal, Ghana and Uganda. Local chapters worldwide collaborate with the international organization to create Days for Girls Kits. From college clubs to community groups, people globally contribute to the production of these kits, preparing them for distribution in developing countries to address period poverty.

The Days for Girls Kit

The Borgen Project spoke with a member of the Days for Girls who wishes to remain anonymous for privacy reasons. She has been a part of the organization at the local level for approximately four years. She told The Borgen Project about the contents of the Days for Girls kits that local chapters within the U.S. and other countries make before sending them to developing countries where period poverty is highly prevalent. The kit includes the Days for Girls reusable pad, underwear, washcloth, soap, liners, a use and care instructions sheet, a small bag to keep things separate and a larger, drawstring bag to carry everything in.

When speaking with The Borgen Project about the kits, she said, “The local chapters make the kits. Sewing lessons are usually given to new members and the clubs meet for sewing sessions.” The local chapters of Days for Girls sew the kits and put them together before mailing them to the organization headquarters. From there, the kits are sent to women and girls experiencing period poverty. The local chapters of Days for Girls across the U.S. sew the kits and put them together before mailing them to the organization’s headquarters, from where they are sent to women and girls experiencing period poverty worldwide.

Conclusion: Combating Period Poverty

Days for Girls has found a sustainable and viable solution for combating period poverty. The reusable pads provide women and girls with long-lasting products for their periods. Without having to worry about their periods and bleeding through their clothes, women and girls can attend school, work and not be forced to isolate themselves from public spheres. 

– Komalpreet Kaur
Photo: Pickpik