May 28, Menstrual Hygiene Day, is a great opportunity to learn about global menstrual health. Every day, young girls around the world lose opportunities to gain education and propel their future. A major contributing factor is the stigma that unfairly surrounds women and girls for something that is a natural part of their lives — their period.
In some parts of the world, menstruation is viewed as unclean. This unfair stigma prevents women and girls from attending school and going to work. They can miss entire weeks of school and income while menstruating, which interrupts their education and livelihoods.
Right now, millions of women and girls around the world are stigmatized, excluded, and discriminated against because they menstruate. When women and girls are forced to miss school and work because of this, it’s called period poverty.
Period poverty is a term used to describe the struggle many women and girls face because they do not have consistent access to adequate menstrual health education and management supplies. This can have serious consequences, such as health challenges, stigmatization and shame, and absences from school and work.
Addressing period poverty requires collective efforts to break the stigma surrounding menstruation and ensures that every person can manage their periods safely and with dignity. This means consistent access to adequate menstrual health supplies — breaking taboos, ending the stigma surrounding menstruation, and raising awareness.
Convoy Confronts Period Poverty
Convoy of Hope is committed to addressing period poverty and providing safe menstrual health supplies and education. One way Convoy does this is by providing menstrual health kits during disasters. Disasters can limit access to resources like menstrual health supplies and clean water. Providing these kits gives people the resources they need to safely manage their periods.
Additionally, Convoy’s Girls’ Empowerment groups help girls identify and strengthen their voice. In the program, girls learn about self-esteem, positive decision-making, nutrition, physical and emotional health, menstrual health, gender-based violence, and harmful beliefs and practices. This education disrupts the stigma surrounding menstruation and empowers girls to dream about and plan for their futures.
This Menstrual Hygiene Day, partner with Convoy of Hope to empower women and girls all over the world. Together, we can address period poverty, normalize the conversation about menstruation, and ensure people all over the world can manage their periods safely.
