So by now we’re all pretty familiar with the term ‘period poverty’. It’s a newish way to describe an age-old problem – the inability to buy sanitary products. It’s not just a day-to-day or month-to-month problem. The impacts of not being able to hygienically manage your period are way more far reaching, affecting the education of girls and young women who are forced to stay home during their periods rather than go to school. This in turn screws up their employment prospects and basically, their whole lives.
There are lots of situations and places where period poverty gets worse. Humanitarian crises, for example. Imagine trying to get your hands on a box of pads if you’re in a refugee camp. Or in a town that’s been flattened by a hurricane. Or a country going through extreme drought and famine. Or somewhere where period shame stops women from interacting with others during menstruation.
But did you know that women here in our own backyard are staring period poverty in the face? Women and girls in remote Indigenous Australian communities are some of those who face the biggest cultural and practical hurdles when it comes to MHM (that’s menstrual hygiene management, the official term for decent access to period prods).
Globally, many girls and women in remote areas have to contend with lack of a good water supply and basic sanitation stuff during menstruation, and sadly that’s the same here as it is in the so called ‘third world’. Add a side serve of cultural taboos, privacy issues, lack of education around puberty and general embarrassment, and routine activities like school and socialising take a back seat.
Juuni is on a mission (along with the wonderful folk at The Happy Boxes Project) to provide women in the most remote corners of Australia with the period care they need. And we're asking for your help. For $45 you can donate a three-month Juuni subscription (that’s less than 50c a day!), by clicking here.
Each Juuni Happy Box contains a three-month supply of our 100 per cent organic cotton period products, a few beauty gifts and a copy of My Juuni magazine to answer all those questions you might not want to ask out loud. Your generous donations will be sent directly to The Happy Boxes Project for distribution to remote indigenous communities throughout WA and the NT. Next time you’re caught short somewhere without a tampon, you can think about that and smile. Thank you x
