Support the Fight to End Period Poverty
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Hi! My name is Allison Wong. I'm a sophomore at the Orange County School of the Arts, and I've started this fundraiser concerning an issue that is very prevalent today: period poverty.
Having a period is daunting and taboo. It’s rarely talked about, yet the average woman will face at least 400 periods in her menstrual lifetime. Food is among the most donated items to homeless shelters but period poverty is often overlooked. Periods are natural and both the mental and physical effects of not being able to take care of your menstrual cycle can be extremely harmful.
Many women and adolescent girls end up resorting to newspapers, socks, makeup pads, and rags once a month because they can't afford to buy pads from the store. They are faced with the decision of either having a meal or taking care of their body's needs. It's a humiliating, and unfortunately, necessary choice. Homelessness is a huge problem in itself, but for women during the menstrual cycle, it's a thousand times worse. In severe cases, a woman will have to use plastic bags she finds floating around in the streets—anything to staunch the flow because she only has one outfit, and that's the clothes on her back. Why should women have to pay for a basic human need? If they can't afford a box of 50 pads for $10, how will they be able to afford the serious infections and even a trip to the hospital that is sure to come later?
Even worse is the effect of period poverty on a young girl. She can get her period for the first time at age eleven, and if she can’t afford or doesn’t have access to any menstrual products, she might begin to stay home from school once a month during her cycle. She will start missing out on important lessons that will just continue to add up, and at one point she might decide to drop out of school altogether because the gap is now so large. Without an education, it will be even more difficult for her to obtain what she needs, and she may need to resort to drastic and even dangerous measures to get what she needs to survive. With this comes the risk of serious health problems that can land her in the hospital or worse.
No one should have to be subjected to a life like this—especially when we can prevent it.
This is where we come in. In August 2020, I co-founded a club called womenwurld at the Orange County School of the Arts. Our mission is to empower women in underserved communities by providing them with resources and necessities such as personal hygiene products. So far, we have donated over 5,500 pads as well as over 3,000 other personal hygiene items to OC Rescue Mission, Friendship Shelter, Mary's Kitchen, and Thomas House Shelter. You can check out our Instagram @womenwurld to see what we’ve been working on. We can’t wait to broaden our reach to other communities.
We hope you will find it in your heart to contribute to this cause.
A donation of just $10 can buy a box of pads or tampons that will last a menstruating girl or woman up to 2 months.
Every dollar raised from this fundraiser will go to purchasing menstruation products for women and adolescent girls in homeless shelters and other facilities for the underserved in Southern California.
With one less worry, a girl can now focus on her education and create a brighter future for herself where she can pursue her growth and passions. She will no longer have to scavenge for any scraps she can use instead of a pad. This is the kind of life every girl and woman deserves, and with your help, we can make that dream a reality.
Having a period is daunting and taboo. It’s rarely talked about, yet the average woman will face at least 400 periods in her menstrual lifetime. Food is among the most donated items to homeless shelters but period poverty is often overlooked. Periods are natural and both the mental and physical effects of not being able to take care of your menstrual cycle can be extremely harmful.
Many women and adolescent girls end up resorting to newspapers, socks, makeup pads, and rags once a month because they can't afford to buy pads from the store. They are faced with the decision of either having a meal or taking care of their body's needs. It's a humiliating, and unfortunately, necessary choice. Homelessness is a huge problem in itself, but for women during the menstrual cycle, it's a thousand times worse. In severe cases, a woman will have to use plastic bags she finds floating around in the streets—anything to staunch the flow because she only has one outfit, and that's the clothes on her back. Why should women have to pay for a basic human need? If they can't afford a box of 50 pads for $10, how will they be able to afford the serious infections and even a trip to the hospital that is sure to come later?
Even worse is the effect of period poverty on a young girl. She can get her period for the first time at age eleven, and if she can’t afford or doesn’t have access to any menstrual products, she might begin to stay home from school once a month during her cycle. She will start missing out on important lessons that will just continue to add up, and at one point she might decide to drop out of school altogether because the gap is now so large. Without an education, it will be even more difficult for her to obtain what she needs, and she may need to resort to drastic and even dangerous measures to get what she needs to survive. With this comes the risk of serious health problems that can land her in the hospital or worse.
No one should have to be subjected to a life like this—especially when we can prevent it.
This is where we come in. In August 2020, I co-founded a club called womenwurld at the Orange County School of the Arts. Our mission is to empower women in underserved communities by providing them with resources and necessities such as personal hygiene products. So far, we have donated over 5,500 pads as well as over 3,000 other personal hygiene items to OC Rescue Mission, Friendship Shelter, Mary's Kitchen, and Thomas House Shelter. You can check out our Instagram @womenwurld to see what we’ve been working on. We can’t wait to broaden our reach to other communities.
We hope you will find it in your heart to contribute to this cause.
A donation of just $10 can buy a box of pads or tampons that will last a menstruating girl or woman up to 2 months.
Every dollar raised from this fundraiser will go to purchasing menstruation products for women and adolescent girls in homeless shelters and other facilities for the underserved in Southern California.
With one less worry, a girl can now focus on her education and create a brighter future for herself where she can pursue her growth and passions. She will no longer have to scavenge for any scraps she can use instead of a pad. This is the kind of life every girl and woman deserves, and with your help, we can make that dream a reality.
Organizer and beneficiary
Allison Wong
Organizer
Irvine, CA
Lynn Wong
Beneficiary
