Her local success has pushed her to think globally.

вЂњWhy not take it one step further with sustainability?вЂќ вЂњI can buy (period supplies), and I can afford it,вЂќ Patel said. Now sheвЂ™s promoting the use of environmentally sustainable products, such as menstrual cups or biodegradable pads. She started a social media campaign aimed at debunking menstrual hygiene myths and menstrual health stigma. Since its launch, the project has expanded to include partnerships with Hillsborough County Public Schools to distribute supplies and the University of Tampa, where she held a period product drive on campus.ДЇor Patel, 15, donations are one piece of the puzzle. In addition, Patel has started a GoFundMe to raise $4,000 for the project, which she says sheвЂ™s close to reaching.ДЄanya Patel, 15, with feminine hygiene products that a donor dropped off for her period poverty project. Her goal started with collecting 10,000 pads and has since expanded to 50,000 as support poured in. 10, National Period Day, she launched a project called вЂњPeriods in the Pandemic: No Girl Left Behind,вЂќ which helps provide pads to low-income and homeless families as well as domestic violence shelters in Tampa.

Hillsborough High School sophomore Aanya Patel has been pursuing a similar mission.Дuring a virtual global forum this summer, Patel learned about period poverty and was inspired to start her nonprofit, Global Girls Initiative. When she got the idea, Abraham was looking to mobilize teenagers like her who may not have money, but had clothes they no longer use. Volunteer Robin McFerren stocks donations of feminine hygiene products from Anisha Abraham, 17, of Tarpon Springs, recently at FEAST Food Pantry, 2255 Nebraska Ave, in Palm Harbor. Often period education gets conflated with sex education, she said, limiting opportunities to increase awareness around feminine hygiene. However, working with schools has proven difficult, according to Foss. Yet, girls as young as age 9 are beginning to menstruate, underscoring the need for accessible period products and womenвЂ™s health education for youth and adults alike. In schools with younger students, supply for feminine hygiene products may be low as the average age for a girlвЂ™s first period is 12 years old. вЂњThis isnвЂ™t a high school or college problem.вЂќ вЂњThis is a child welfare issue,вЂќ said Caroline Foss, the basic needs strategic advisor for the Junior League. From August to early October, the group donated just over 11,000 period products.ДЄnd those donations are having the largest impact on elementary schools. The Junior League of Tampa has seen an increase in demand for basic need supplies, including diapers and period products. Related: The rise of Amy Coney Barrett: вЂGut punchвЂ™ for some, pleasing to others

In Florida, one in six women and girls between the ages of 12 and 44 live below the federal poverty line, data from the alliance shows.Д«ut those fighting to close the access gap say the need is not exclusive to low-income individuals.

And in 2019, one in four teens across the country said they have missed school due to lack of period supplies, according to the Alliance for Period Supplies. Prior to the pandemic, one in four women said they have struggled to afford feminine hygiene products in the past year due to lack of income, according to a survey conducted by YouGov on behalf of U by Kotex, a brand of feminine hygiene products. And although access has dwindled, the need persists. For some, job loss, work from home, and virtual schooling have limited access to period products. Some women, girls, transgender and nonbinary individuals may have been able to access these supplies in schools, public facilities or workplaces prior to the pandemic. Related: Black women with breast cancer face far greater risks.

Pink girl power project 2020