Period Poverty Awareness Week 2024: Why Period Supply Is So Essential

Women bleed, yeah that is true, what is new in that? New is, like the ages from primitive era still they suffer with inadequate supply of essential period products, sanitation facilities, and above all proper guidance about menstrual health. Alliance for Period Supplies created Period Poverty Awareness Week, which is from 20^th May to 28^th May, 2024 is an essential drive, which runs a campaign to break all the stigmas around it and bring out the solution to serve every woman out there with utmost health and hygiene. Raising awareness through this campaign and opening up conversations will lead us to identify the problem in grass-root level, so that we all may work together to deal with it.

What is Period Poverty?

Period Poverty is nothing but inadequate supply of menstrual hygiene products like, sanitary pads, tampons or menstrual cups along with some more essential supply like clean water and private spaces to manage periods dignifiedly.

It’s a global problem.

According to UNICEF, an approximate estimation of 500 million women do not have access to period products and hygiene facilities.

A survey says one girl in every five girls in US misses school for lack of menstrual support.

The UK based charity namely, Plan International says one girl among ten girls can’t afford period products in UK.

The Period Poverty and its Impact

The Period Poverty is a very deeply rooted problem, which leaves a massive impact on women’s lives. There are different sectors of feminine lives, which get disrupted by this 5 day long event every month. That’s why Period Poverty Awareness Week program is absolutely necessary. Let’s see how it disbalances a woman’s life.

1. Education: Teenagers, who are very new to handle puberty or periods are not so pro to manage their menstrual hygiene. As a result, they prefer to stay back at home. No need to underline, it affects their studies, learning and overall academic performance. This year’s agenda for running the campaign on Period Poverty Awareness Week is bringing out a solution to provide school going girls with adequate menstrual support.
2. Health: Women unwillingly opt for extremely unhygienic products like rags, newspaper, ashes or even improperly cleaned clothes and socks resulting serious infections along with other health issues.
3. Dignity & Mental Health: The word periods brings a stigma along with it. No matter how old one could be, the shame and embarrassment related to it never wane off. And, if it is related to period poverty, then the scar is forever. It impacts up to a great extent on a woman’s mind and her self-esteem.
4. Economy: Women miss their work during periods. Yes they do. Not for their period symptoms but for the inadequate supply of period products at their work places. And obviously it leaves an impact on their economic structure.

Period Poverty Awareness Week on Tackling Period Poverty

What can be done to minimize Period Poverty?

Well, it needs a multifaceted approach. Governments, non-profit organizations, communities have to step up to deal with it. They have to start conversation around the matter so that women can open up stating their problems without a shame or hesitance. Apart from that, they need to strategize their moves on various aspect to deal with it. Period Poverty Awareness Week is there to focus on such arenas where government and other big organization’s intervention can really bring a mammoth change.

1. Policy Change: A new reformed policy is needed to distribute free period products in schools, colleges, public places and even in prisons. Scotland showed us the way in 2020 by providing free period products to everyone whoever want for it. It’s a path-breaking news for the world.
2. Education & Awareness: The more women will learn, the more they will break the stigmas around it. So, providing true and most up-to-date information to the women is the key to make them strong enough to manage their periods with confidence.
3. Community Support: Organizations that are working in the grass-root levels are the best to distribute the period products in the remotest part of the country. We need more communities to work in favour of feminine hygiene. And, to support them the least we can do is empowering them through donations and volunteering in their drives.
4. Corporate Responsibility: Corporate houses can come forward to support drives which work in favour of women health and hygiene as a part of their CSR Programme. Not only that, they may introduce inclusive policies for menstruating women at their work places. This will leave a huge impact on feminine lives.
5. Innovative solutions: Sustainable period products are now the call of the time, and probably the best option to tackle this issue in much better way. Products like reusable pads and menstrual cups can provide a long term solution to this ages long problem, i.e., period poverty. https://amzn.to/4byOlAU This page is an Affiliate to Amazon.in

If You Wonder How You Can Get Involved

In this Period Poverty Awareness Week you may opt for various avenues to do your part correctly.

1. Donate: Surely giving donations to organizations that work for women health and hygiene is the best you may do to take the drive forward.

2.  Advocacy: Raise your voice in favour of policy changes that will surely ensure menstrual equity.

3. Educate: Share your knowledge and piece of information about period poverty with your people to break the stigma. Take help of the social networking sites to spread your words.

4. Volunteer: Grass-root level organizations are always in need of manpower. Volunteer yourself to work in their initiatives.

Conclusion

Period Poverty Awareness Week is to establish the truth that the menstrual equity is not just a basic need of women but it’s their fundamental right. By addressing an issue like period poverty we are actually trying to create a better and healthy world for every woman. Let’s take a pledge to end period poverty as soon as possible. As it says, if there is no woman, there will be no life.

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