Hello again, friends!

It’s me — Anitta, your familiar advocate for ending period poverty — back at that time of year when I invite you to join me in becoming part of an underprivileged girl’s support village.

Every year around Thanksgiving, I run this fundraiser as my personal tradition of giving back. It’s a moment to reflect on gratitude and to extend that gratitude to underprivileged girls who deserve dignity, safety, and support during their menstrual cycles.

Here’s what we’ve achieved so far:

Since 2022, this Thanksgiving drive has grown into something beautiful. And every year, I share a personal story to remind us why this work is so close to my heart.

This year, I want to take you back to my very first period — a memory that has never left me.

I was 11 years old. I had learned “The science” in school and thought I was prepared, but nothing prepares you for the real thing. I remember sitting in a Math class when something suddenly felt “off.” It wasn’t pain at first — just a strange new awareness in my body. I asked to go to the bathroom, which in my school was a pit latrine with nothing but shredded book pages for toilet paper. When I saw the blood, I froze for a moment. Then I sighed — a deep, helpless sigh that I still remember vividly. I didn’t have a pad. I didn’t have tissues. I didn’t have anything. I softened the pieces of paper in the latrine until they felt less harsh and used them as makeshift liners. And then I prayed. I prayed that nothing would fall out as I walked back to class to ask for permission to go home. There were no menstrual supplies at school, so I walked about 30 minutes to find my mother — the only place that felt safe then. By the time I reached her, I was exhausted and in pain. She gave me a clean pair of knickers and a proper pad, but the damage was already done. I missed three days of school because the rough paper had caused an infection and painful chafing burns.

I show up each year so no girl has to face her period scared or unprepared like I once did.

With your support (whatever you can spare) — and alongside my dear friend Sandra Nabuule and African Empowerment Hub – Uganda — we can continue to provide reusable kits and menstrual education to those who need it most.

Let’s make this Thanksgiving season especially meaningful by giving back — together.

Thank you for being part of this village and Happy Holidays,

Anitta