What can be done to eradicate period poverty?


BY DR ZAREEN ROOHI AHMED
21ST JAN 2024

LIFE


Dr Zareen Roohi Ahmed is on a mission to eradicate period poverty all over the world and, with a cost of living crisis and global unrest, it’s time to finally move together to a period poverty-free future

In a world progressively vocal about equality and empowerment, a shadowed issue persists, often deemed the final taboo: period poverty.

Period poverty is a widespread yet concealed affliction that touches millions of women and girls, yet it lingers at the periphery of global discourse. The stigma enveloping menstruation remains the most formidable barrier. This article is a personal testament to my accidental discovery of this crisis, the journey to confront it, and the community-driven solutions promising a dawn free from period poverty.

My awakening to the issue: an article in Lahore

My voyage against period poverty commenced unexpectedly—in the lounge of Lahore’s airport in Pakistan. There, in the wake of launching a school dedicated to my late daughter Halimah for underprivileged girls, I grappled with my grief and a longing to uphold our shared vision for philanthropy. It was amid this introspection that an article about Syrian women in the Zatari refugee camp caught my attention. Their stories of hardship and the dire lack of sanitary products, which forced them to repurpose strips of fabric from the clothing they wore into makeshift pads, moved me profoundly. Their indomitable spirit amidst such adversity ignited a resolve within me: I was determined to bring about change. In that moment I envisioned myself handing menstrual pads to these women and this marked the genesis of my crusade against period poverty.

"Syrian women in the Zatari refugee camp forced to repurpose strips of clothing into makeshift pads moved me profoundly"

Period poverty is an issue often overlooked when considering the difficulties that refugees face, however it is not just women in such extreme situations that encounter this problem, but also those living what we would consider to be ordinary lives. With the cost of living on the rise, more and more people are struggling to afford period products, often having to choose between food, heating or sanitary products.

Turning inspiration into action

Zareen distributing hygiene kits in Lebanon in August 2022

I started Gift Wellness, an award-winning social enterprise after the spark I felt in Lahore airport. It is devoted to eradicating period poverty through the sale of eco-conscious, plastic-free menstrual products and cleansing bars. Our efforts have seen the distribution of over 6.5 million period products to homeless and refugee women, food banks and schools—extending from the UK to global reaches.

Fighting period poverty is about turning awareness of the issue into creative and practical ways to solve the problem. For example, Gift Wellness has also evolved into the launch of an app, Period Angels, designed to revolutionise how menstrual products are distributed to those in need. It bridges the gap between those who need menstrual products, volunteers who respond and coordinate their distribution, organisations that need the products or would like to stock them and people who want to make donations.

"Gift Wellness has distributed over 6.5 million period products to homeless and refugee women, food banks and schools "

Using schemes like this to provide free period products to the community, through volunteers and donations, will help make products more accessible for those struggling to afford them. Corporations and charities alike need to come together to tackle this issue as a united front.

The potential of technology to help fight period poverty

Period poverty and menstrual health in general is often shrouded in a layer of controversy and taboo. However, it should not be a topic that should be discussed with shame. Instead, we should be striving to increase people’s awareness of the topic and the needs of women and girls.

Technology can be essential for this. The Period Angels App also acts as an educational resource, providing vital menstrual health information. Encouraging people to understand menstruation as a topic of health is essential in the journey to preventing period poverty, and utilising technology and the connectivity of the internet is just one other way that organisations can help people in need access menstrual products and normalise talking about it.

Shifting the stigma around women's health

Zareen with her book The Gift about her journey from tragedy to activism
The eradication of period poverty demands more than activism; it calls for a cultural paradigm shift. We must realign our societal structures, historically synced to men's rhythms, to acknowledge and fit around women's health cycles. This recalibration should begin in the privacy of our homes and proliferate through the halls of education and the corridors of the workplace.

"The eradication of period poverty demands more than activism; it calls for a cultural paradigm shift"

It's a matter of recognising that the needs of menstruating individuals are not ancillary but fundamental. For organisations, this translates to instituting supportive mechanisms, ensuring ready access to menstrual products, and nurturing a culture that dispels the shame around menstruation.

Marching towards a period poverty-free future



Gift Wellness period products are helping millions of women struggling with period poverty

The battle against period poverty is a multifaceted struggle—it's not only about securing product accessibility; it's about dismantling deep-seated stigmas and inequities. My own journey, which began with a stirring article in Lahore, led to the founding of Gift Wellness and the creation of the Period Angels app, illustrating that transformative change is within our reach.

"Together, we can transcend the last taboo and craft a future where period poverty is relegated to history"
It's a path paved with vision, tenacity and collective effort. Together, we can transcend the last taboo, align our societal ethos with the reality of women's bodies, and craft a future where period poverty is relegated to history. Let's stride forward in unity.

About the author:




Dr Zareen Roohi Ahmed is a philanthropist and the founder and CEO of Gift Wellness, a social enterprise which produces a range of sustainable, natural, high-quality sanitary products and is an ongoing support to women in crisis. She is also the founder and Chair of The Halimah Trust, a charity, founded in honour of her daughter, that works to improve the lives of orphaned and needy children through education and responding to the needs of people in crisis.

Zareen’s book, The Gift, tells the remarkable story of how, after the tragic loss of her daughter Halimah, Zareen channelled her grief into real action and purpose, all in the name of improving the lives of women and girls across the globe.

Banner photo credit: Dr Zaheen Roohi Adhmed