Period Poverty - the Issue Inspiring my Grant Project

The term “period poverty” appears in media almost weekly. According to American Medical Women’s Association, period poverty is defined as “the inadequate access to menstrual hygiene tools and educations, including but not limited to sanitary products, washing facilities, and waste management.” Simply put, many women lack access to basic menstrual products.

An estimated 3.5 billion woman have monthly periods, which is around 44% of the global population. According to Days for Girls, a charitable organization, around 25% of all menstruators experience period poverty, which means that 500 million women have inadequate access to menstruation necessities. 

The I Am A Girl project would focus specifically on addressing period poverty in Uganda. In 2019, Uganda’s Ministry of Education reported that nearly 25% of girls will drop out of school once they begin their menstrual cycle. While most stay in school, the absence rate during girls’ periods triple from 7% to 28%. Girls who drop out of school have an increased chance of early marriage and motherhood as well as a decreased likelihood of escaping poverty. 

According to UNICEF Uganda, the country already has challenges providing quality education to all of its citizens. Organizations like I Am A Girl provide necessary menstrual support to aid menstruation and women’s education. Uganda already struggles with keeping any student in school - a woman’s period should not be kept as an educational barrier. 

In Los Angeles, most women can conveniently walk into any store and pick out their preferred menstrual product. Different types, brands, sizes, prices, and colors line an entire aisle. Clean bathrooms are usually used, and a woman can wash her hands after. This experience seems normal. Providing access to menstruation products in areas with widespread period poverty becomes so much more than a normal piece of life. Menstrual products mean education, employment, and hope. 

While period poverty feels like a  massive issue to tackle, small steps go a long way. The project that is requesting funding focuses on research, which will create a more tangible, longer-lasting impact not only in this Ugandan town, but around the world. A tampon is used once, but evidence collected from research will be referenced thousands of  times. 

IAG needs this research conducted in order to know how best to attack period poverty. Because IAG collaborates and shares resources with other organizations like The Flow and American Women for International Understanding, women and organizations around the world will benefit from this research. We hope that the urgency and importance of this issue is realized and the funds requested are fulfilled.