Three community organizations — Moms Helping Moms, Girls Helping Girls Period, and Jewish Family Services — joined forces to combat period poverty, which is the lack of adequate access to menstrual products, education and sanitation facilities.
In honor of Period Poverty Awareness Week earlier this month, the organizations came together to raise awareness and advance menstrual health equity by providing free period products.
Over the past five years, surveys have shown a steady rise in the number of people who can’t afford menstrual products.
Nahela Hadi, executive director of Moms Helping Moms, says period poverty can result in missed days at school and work, and may lead to infections, toxic shock syndrome, reproductive health issues, depression, low self-esteem and other health concerns.
Elise Joy, co-founder and executive director of Girls Helping Girls Period, launched the organization a decade ago after she and her daughters, based in South Orange, discovered how many girls lacked access to menstrual products. Since then, she has helped distribute over 5 million period products. Still, she emphasizes that lasting change will come through legislation.
“There is now a law that requires there be menstrual products in all schools in New Jersey in 6th-12th grade. If you don’t see them in your school, please go to your administration. They have to by law provide them, and the cost is covered by the state, so there is no excuse to not see them in the school bathrooms,” Joy said.
Joy says the next step is to bring free menstrual products and education into elementary schools. She believes that by teaching students about these products at an early age, they’ll be better equipped to use them safely and confidently.
