The Light at the end of the Tunnel: Actions that help fight period poverty.
Now that we know what period poverty is and the benefits of fighting it, we come down to the practicality of it: what can we, as individuals, do to fight period poverty?
Normalize Talking About Periods
A major reason why period poverty has alarmingly increased is the lack of awareness. It is definitely time to ditch all taboos and start discussing periods in a more civilized way! Many people still view menstruation as dirty and an embarrassment, and that makes it very difficult for menstruators to talk about their period issues and seek support if needed. By encouraging others to embrace period talk, you are contributing to raising awareness about the severity of period poverty in your community!
Educate Yourself on Periods
An added bonus of talking about periods is separating fact from myth! Period poverty will not improve without proper educational resources on menstruation heath and its possible consequences! You can educate yourself by attending talks on menstrual health given by INGOs, or by drilling a health professional for statistics! The broader your understanding of menstrual health is, the more likely you are to fight against period poverty.
Encourage menstrual education in your Community.
Whether you are a student or a professional, it is very important for communities to have adequate menstrual health knowledge. This can be achieved by arranging talks with health professionals on the issue, or through dedicating a few hours of volunteering a month to the cause. By supporting informed sex and period health workshops in your community, you are advocating for breaking the menstrual stigma.
Support Charities and Organizations
Supporting local or international period poverty initiatives does not only refer to donating money or products. While that is definitely ideal, you can also help raise awareness on period poverty by sharing relevant campaigns on social media! However, it is definitely your duty to stop the spreading of inaccurate information, so do keep that in mind before you post anything on your platforms!
Now that we have given you some ideas, what are some other ways you can think of that can help effectively fight period poverty? Share your answers with us on our Instagram page, or in the comments below!
