Empower Women by Ending Period Poverty
Donation protected
What will this campaign do?
The goal of this campaign is to raise enough money for a pad making machine in a village in need in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, or Sri Lanka. This creates sanitary products and generates economic opportunity for women.
The $15,000 will...
Provide one manual pad machine
Employ 5-6 workers
Produce 100,000 pads per year
Serve 500 to 800 women for 1 year
Cover raw materials, tool kits, training programs, and shipping costs + taxes
This will be an ongoing campaign for this machine, but there are other, less expensive options if the $15,000 goal is not met. This would include reusable pad kits, which can last anywhere from 2-3 years per woman.
What is Period Poverty?
Period poverty refers to the lack of access to safe and affordable menstrual products. More broadly, this can include a lack of education, clean water, health and sanitization services, and other sexual and reproductive health and rights. All these things should be basic human rights, as they are required in order for women to live with dignity. Period.
There are a number of factors that contribute to period poverty, one of the most influential being stigma and cultural shame. Especially in developing countries, periods are not talked about, and there is no comprehensive menstrual education. Deep rooted cultural beliefs that shun women during menstruation also make it more difficult for women to live their lives while on their periods. In Nepal, women are banished to dirty and isolated huts while menstruating, even though it was technically made illegal. In many places, period products are not available at all, and women and girls are forced to use dirty rags, leaves, cow pies, or cardboard, putting their health at risk. Even if products are available, they are too costly, and the wage gap makes it even more difficult for women to purchase what they need.
The detrimental effects of period poverty are most clear in the intersection between menstruation, education rights, and child marriage. In the majority of third world countries, women and girls are deprived of education. The girls who are in school are forced to leave when they get their periods. They don't have products such as pads and tampons to wear, so they can't go to class. I know what it's like to have to miss school because of your period, and while catching up was difficult, I can't imagine what it's like to have your educated completely eliminated. Moreover, these young girls are married off, and forced to have children, when they are only children themselves. The risk of death, maternal and newborn complications, and domestic violence increases. Keeping girls in schools prevents this, and one way to do that is by providing affordable menstrual products. The World Health Organization and the Global Partnership Fund found that if girls receive seven full years of education, they will marry an average of four years later and have 2.2 fewer children. If they attend just one additional year of secondary school, their lifetime wages could increase by up to twenty-five percent, consequently raising their countries’ GDPs by billions of dollars.
Accessible and affordable menstrual products are a basic necessity in order to empower women, and enable them to live their own independent lives. Empowered women have more control over their lives, live more successful lives, and empower their children, their countries, and those around them. Making sure women can succeed is both the right thing to do, and the smart thing to do. Everyone benefits, and we owe it to our women and girls to make sure they can live their lives with dignity. Join the fight for menstrual equity. Donate today! Any amount is appreciated.
Watch this video to learn more:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7R_9j092jnE&feature=emb_title
The goal of this campaign is to raise enough money for a pad making machine in a village in need in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, or Sri Lanka. This creates sanitary products and generates economic opportunity for women.
The $15,000 will...
Provide one manual pad machine
Employ 5-6 workers
Produce 100,000 pads per year
Serve 500 to 800 women for 1 year
Cover raw materials, tool kits, training programs, and shipping costs + taxes
This will be an ongoing campaign for this machine, but there are other, less expensive options if the $15,000 goal is not met. This would include reusable pad kits, which can last anywhere from 2-3 years per woman.
What is Period Poverty?
Period poverty refers to the lack of access to safe and affordable menstrual products. More broadly, this can include a lack of education, clean water, health and sanitization services, and other sexual and reproductive health and rights. All these things should be basic human rights, as they are required in order for women to live with dignity. Period.
There are a number of factors that contribute to period poverty, one of the most influential being stigma and cultural shame. Especially in developing countries, periods are not talked about, and there is no comprehensive menstrual education. Deep rooted cultural beliefs that shun women during menstruation also make it more difficult for women to live their lives while on their periods. In Nepal, women are banished to dirty and isolated huts while menstruating, even though it was technically made illegal. In many places, period products are not available at all, and women and girls are forced to use dirty rags, leaves, cow pies, or cardboard, putting their health at risk. Even if products are available, they are too costly, and the wage gap makes it even more difficult for women to purchase what they need.
The detrimental effects of period poverty are most clear in the intersection between menstruation, education rights, and child marriage. In the majority of third world countries, women and girls are deprived of education. The girls who are in school are forced to leave when they get their periods. They don't have products such as pads and tampons to wear, so they can't go to class. I know what it's like to have to miss school because of your period, and while catching up was difficult, I can't imagine what it's like to have your educated completely eliminated. Moreover, these young girls are married off, and forced to have children, when they are only children themselves. The risk of death, maternal and newborn complications, and domestic violence increases. Keeping girls in schools prevents this, and one way to do that is by providing affordable menstrual products. The World Health Organization and the Global Partnership Fund found that if girls receive seven full years of education, they will marry an average of four years later and have 2.2 fewer children. If they attend just one additional year of secondary school, their lifetime wages could increase by up to twenty-five percent, consequently raising their countries’ GDPs by billions of dollars.
Accessible and affordable menstrual products are a basic necessity in order to empower women, and enable them to live their own independent lives. Empowered women have more control over their lives, live more successful lives, and empower their children, their countries, and those around them. Making sure women can succeed is both the right thing to do, and the smart thing to do. Everyone benefits, and we owe it to our women and girls to make sure they can live their lives with dignity. Join the fight for menstrual equity. Donate today! Any amount is appreciated.
Watch this video to learn more:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7R_9j092jnE&feature=emb_title
Organizer and beneficiary
Kayla Hayempour
Organizer
Los Angeles, CA
Bahareh Hayempour
Beneficiary
