3 Facts about Period Poverty
Beyond the economic barrier of affordability, the entrenched stigma and taboos attached to menstruation result in very limited conversations within families and schools. The implication is that millions of girls are unprepared and lack the knowledge to adequately manage their period when it arrives.
As a result of Period Poverty, girls often resort to using unhygienic materials such as papers, rags, or leaves to try to manage their periods. This has been shown to pose physical health risks and has been linked to reproductive and urinary tract infections. These makeshift options are also very stain/accident-prone, contributing to the stigma, shame, and embarrassment surrounding menstruation.
Studies have shown that it is a common occurrence for girls to miss school during their periods as a result of Period Poverty. Girls in low-economic communities often drop out of school entirely because they are unequipped to manage their monthly flows. In Nigeria, 62% of the 10.3M out-of-school children in Nigeria are girls, this is why we are committed to this cause.