At Girls Inc., we believe that access to menstrual products and menstrual health education is not a privilege it’s a fundamental right. Yet for too many girls and women around the world, period poverty continues to be a barrier to education, opportunity, and dignity.

This Menstrual Hygiene Day, we’re proud to spotlight the powerful ways our girls are stepping up, speaking out, and working to create change in their schools and communities.

Why Menstrual Equity Matters

Menstrual equity is about ensuring that every person who menstruates has access to safe, affordable period products and the knowledge to care for their reproductive health with confidence. For our girls, this movement is about more than just pads and tampons, it’s about empowerment, justice, and breaking down generations of stigma and silence.

Period poverty affects millions. In the U.S. alone, 1 in 5 teens has struggled to afford period products, and 1 in 4 has missed school because of it. These aren’t just statistics, but they’re the lived realities of too many girls right here in our communities.

What Menstrual Equity Means to Our Girls

For the girls in our programs, the Menstrual Equity campaign represents a chance to advocate for their own health and for others who may not yet have the tools or language to do so. It means learning that periods are natural, not shameful. It means saying yes to being informed, confident, and proud of their bodies.

Through Girls Inc.’s Healthy Sexuality programming and our annual Go With the Flow events, our girls build knowledge, voice, and leadership are all key in the fight to end period poverty.

Girls Taking Action

This month, our Eureka members took part in a special virtual PEP Rally hosted by the Period Education Project (PEP), a powerful initiative led by medical students who deliver medically accurate menstrual health education across the country.

The session covered essential topics like:

• Female reproductive anatomy
• The menstrual cycle and what’s considered normal
• How to choose and safely use period products
• Reducing shame through honest conversations
• Where to turn for trusted local support

The PEP Rally wasn’t just a lesson but it was a conversation. A chance for girls to ask questions, challenge myths, and grow their understanding of their own health. And thanks to the generous support of the Santa Barbara Period Product Drive, we were able to distribute free period products to all attendees.

Go With the Flow: Education + Empowerment

Our Go With the Flow event exists to normalize conversations about periods and give girls the tools they need to feel confident in their bodies. It’s part education, part celebration – a safe and supportive space where girls learn that there is nothing embarrassing about menstruation.

By providing this space and encouraging advocacy, we help ensure that every girl knows she is not alone, that her body is powerful, and that she deserves dignity, every single day of the month.

Why Girls Inc. Will Keep Showing Up

Addressing menstrual inequity is not a side conversation, it’s central to our mission to help girls grow up strong, smart, and bold. When we educate, equip, and advocate, we remove barriers to learning and leadership. We affirm that girls deserve access to the resources, care, and support they need not just to manage their periods, but to thrive.

Let’s Keep the Conversation Going
Period health is community health. Join us in breaking the stigma and advancing menstrual equity not just today, but every day.
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