The Period Project
Donation protected
My name is Maddie Sloat and I am a student at Ohio University. "The Period Project" is an initiative I am starting in Athens, Ohio on behalf of women worldwide who are unable to access proper feminine hygiene items. Our first goal is to purchase $1000 worth of pads and tampons, enough to sustain two hundred women for a month who would otherwise be unable to afford them.
As a teenage girl myself, I struggle with the awkward encounters of hiding tampons in my sleeves to make a trip to the bathroom, or checking out a box of pads at the cute male cashier's register. However, it never occurred to me that some women don't even have that problem-- they are too busy struggling to afford feminine products. My idea for The Period Project began when I met another student in the women's restroom, who admitted she had been using the same pad for the past three days because she couldn't afford to buy more herself. After giving her several pads from my backpack, I did some research and found that lack of access to feminine products is a major issue in the United States (not just in developing countries).
Here's the problem: we treat menstruation in the United States like it's a shameful, personal issue. Here's the thing: it's not. We regard this natural body function, one that affects half of our global population, signals good health in women and essentially allows humans to reproduce, as a taboo. The first step to solving a problem is admitting there is one.
Athens, Ohio is one of the poorest districts in the state of Ohio, with around 30% of people living in poverty, double the national average of 15%. Many of these impoverished women sacrifice going to school or their jobs the weeks of their periods, or reuse products to put food on the table and pay their rent. And when asking for help, these women are ashamed to admit they cannot afford a box of tampons.
Our health should never be considered a second option. Help us make it a priority. Starting here in Athens, Ohio, let's start a conversation about women's menstrual health.
Please consider donating to The Period Project: Protection for Every Girl, Everywhere. Period.
As a teenage girl myself, I struggle with the awkward encounters of hiding tampons in my sleeves to make a trip to the bathroom, or checking out a box of pads at the cute male cashier's register. However, it never occurred to me that some women don't even have that problem-- they are too busy struggling to afford feminine products. My idea for The Period Project began when I met another student in the women's restroom, who admitted she had been using the same pad for the past three days because she couldn't afford to buy more herself. After giving her several pads from my backpack, I did some research and found that lack of access to feminine products is a major issue in the United States (not just in developing countries).
Here's the problem: we treat menstruation in the United States like it's a shameful, personal issue. Here's the thing: it's not. We regard this natural body function, one that affects half of our global population, signals good health in women and essentially allows humans to reproduce, as a taboo. The first step to solving a problem is admitting there is one.
Athens, Ohio is one of the poorest districts in the state of Ohio, with around 30% of people living in poverty, double the national average of 15%. Many of these impoverished women sacrifice going to school or their jobs the weeks of their periods, or reuse products to put food on the table and pay their rent. And when asking for help, these women are ashamed to admit they cannot afford a box of tampons.
Our health should never be considered a second option. Help us make it a priority. Starting here in Athens, Ohio, let's start a conversation about women's menstrual health.
Please consider donating to The Period Project: Protection for Every Girl, Everywhere. Period.
Organizer
Maddie Sloat
Organizer
Athens, OH
