This week, Convoy of Hope celebrated Menstrual Hygiene Day 2024.
Menstrual Hygiene Day — observed every year on May 28 — is a critical reminder of the ongoing challenges in achieving affordable and accessible menstrual hygiene for women around the world. This week, Convoy of Hope global staff talked about period poverty and ways their regions are tackling issues related to it.
A Period-Friendly World
Menstrual Hygiene Day calls for global attention to break the silence and stigma surrounding periods and address the inequalities that hinder many women all over the world from managing their periods safely and effectively. Gender inequality is a main cause of and effect of poverty — and by just ensuring access to hygiene products, that statistic could change.
This year’s Menstrual Hygiene Day theme is “Creating a Period-Friendly World.” A period-friendly world is one where menstruation is not a barrier to health, education, or dignity, where menstruation is normalized and integrated into societal norms.
In a period-friendly world, women and girls can engage fully in school, career, and community life, free from the fear of embarrassment, health complications, and missed opportunities.
Periods & Poverty
Poverty significantly affects menstrual hygiene, creating a cycle of disadvantage that impacts education, health, and economic opportunities. In some low-income regions, menstrual products can be so expensive that most women cannot afford them. This forces many women and girls to use unsafe alternatives, like making their own products or turning to transactional sex to get products. Lack of access to clean water and sanitation facilities exacerbates these challenges, increasing the risk of infections and disease.
In Convoy of Hope’s Women’s Empowerment programming, leaders are working to bring education, resources, and a safe space for people to learn about menstrual health. Convoy of Hope Guatemala’s Lupita Lopez says just talking about it can bridge huge gaps for communities on the road to ending period poverty.
“They get embarrassed because they don’t know what’s going on — and that’s also why they don’t ask for help,” Lupita said. “They see it as being sick instead of being healthy. Programming is trying to change that.”
A Call to Action
When women and girls have access to proper menstrual care, they don’t have to miss school or work. Proper menstrual hygiene also directly impacts mental and emotional well-being, fosters confidence, and reduces taboos associated with menstruation.
So how can you help?
Improving menstrual hygiene takes everyone — governments, nonprofits, communities, and individuals. Policies that ensure affordable access to safe menstruation products, investment in safe sanitation infrastructure, and comprehensive education are all essential steps.
Public awareness and advocacy play a huge role in dispelling myths, normalizing menstruation, and creating a period-friendly world. Learning more about global menstrual health and how to talk about it is one step you can take toward empowering others. But Menstrual Hygiene Day is not just about awareness: It’s a call to action.
Convoy of Hope is committed to working toward a period-friendly world and providing safe menstrual hygiene supplies and education. One way Convoy is doing this is by providing menstrual hygiene kits in areas of need. Through partnership with Days for Girls, Convoy will make and distribute 10,000 kits to eight program countries in Africa this year, which will help thousands of girls.
“Tens of thousands [of kits] means tens of thousands of girls get a springboard in life,” said Days for Girls Associate Programs Director Katy Jones.
Convoy also provides menstrual hygiene kits during disasters — which can limit access to menstrual hygiene supplies and clean water — to give women and girls the resources they need to safely manage their periods.
Additionally, Convoy’s Girls’ Empowerment programming includes menstrual health education, which disrupts the stigma surrounding menstruation and empowers girls to dream about and plan for their futures.
By striving toward a period-friendly world, we dismantle barriers that millions face due to inadequate access to menstrual hygiene. This is an essential part of creating a more equitable, healthy, and dignified world for all.
Partner With Us
This Menstrual Hygiene Day and every day, Convoy is working to ensure women and girls have access to proper menstrual hygiene. Partner with Convoy of Hope to empower women and girls all over the world. Together, we can contribute to a period-friendly world, normalize the conversation about menstruation, and ensure women and girls all over the world can safely manage their periods.
