Menstrual Health Day falls on May 28 each year to raise awareness and fight the stigma. The goal is to create a world where everyone who menstruates has access to products, safe spaces and the support they need to manage their periods without shame.
When you support Plan International in honor of Menstrual Health Day, you’re helping girls all over the world to access safe products and gain the confidence they need to pursue school and follow their dreams.
Isatu’s Story
Isatu left home one morning, not realizing that her life was about to change. Later that day, she got her period for the first time while she was at school. With no real education about what was going on with her body, she felt ashamed, nervous and unsure of what to do. In her community in Sierra Leone, talking about periods wasn’t welcomed.
“I used to struggle with feeling uncomfortable,” Isatu shares. “I often got infections and had to miss a lot of school during my periods. I even had to repeat a year because of it. Some of my friends dropped out of school because they had similar problems.”
YOU can be part of the change
In many places, menstruation still carries a heavy stigma — even though it’s natural and a healthy part of life.
People don’t like to talk about it. Some pretend it doesn’t happen.
Does reading that make you feel a little uncomfortable? That’s exactly why we need to talk about it — so girls like Isatu don’t have to suffer in silence.
Lack of access to menstrual products leads to shame, infections and missed school.
When Isatu got her period, she felt desperate and embarrassed, with no products to use or knowledge about how to get them. Like many girls her age living in Sierra Leone, she resorted to using a lappa — an African cloth wrapped around her waist — to keep her uniform clean that day at school.
Your heartfelt gift today can give girls like Isatu safe, clean reusable pads made of washable fabric that are affordable and sustainable.
In many rural areas, disposable pads are either unavailable or too expensive. That’s why we provide reusable pads that can be washed and used again.
“For families like mine, who are struggling financially, having reusable pads means they can spend money on other important things,” Isatu says.
When girls have access to clean, hygienic products to better manage their periods, they reduce their risk of infection — and they’re more likely to stay in school and thrive. The My Health, My Rights project, which your gifts help support, teaches girls how to manage their periods safely and brings entire communities into the conversation.
“Having the pads has really changed things for me,” Isatu says. “I feel clean and safe. It has improved my hygiene and health, and I don’t get infections as much. I feel much more confident and comfortable during my period and I don’t feel judged.”
Creating a supportive and open community
Now, people are more willing to have conversations about menstrual health. Living in a community that wants to see you shine instead of shrink in shame makes all the difference!
“The pads are also helping to change the way people think about menstruation, making life better for girls in our community,” Isatu says.
Girls like Isatu are the experts how stigma and inequality affect their lives. We are the experts in facilitating the change they need. YOU are the support we all need to fuel those efforts and complete this powerful team. And together, we won’t stop until we are all equal.
As we look forward to Menstrual Health Day, please consider a gift today to help motivate more communities like Isatu’s to end the stigma around periods by supporting and educating each other.
Thank you for supporting and encouraging girls everywhere.
