digital journalism story
How NGOs Fight Period Poverty
in China
As the #MeToo movement attracted public attention in the whole world, women’s issues have been brought into the public’s eye, and Period Poverty is one of the hit topics in the world today. It describes the struggle many low-income women and girls face while trying to afford menstrual products. It is not only an economic issue, but a social and political one as well.
In China, some NGOs (Non-governmental organizations) have jumped to the cause of addressing period poverty.
Interview
Bleed With Dignity
In 2020, “poor-quality sanitary napkins” became a hit topic in China, and people were starting to pay attention to “Period Poverty”. Perhaps in our view, the sanitary napkins are commonplace. However, there are still a lot of girls living in period poverty in many places,.
West China’s Yunnan Province and Qinghai Province, which have the country’s largest remaining poor population, are two classic examples. This time I interviewed Zhutuan and Stacey from NGO StandByHer, who have taught as volunteers in Yunnan and Qinghai. Through their experiences, we can learn about the current status of period poverty in China’s remote areas and how the NGO combats it.
Period poverty is not a unique problem women in remote areas face. It affects populations in the cities, and women living in poverty are especially vulnerable.
予她同行StandByHer
Girls Help Girls.
予她同行StandByHer aims to push the subject of period poverty to the forefront of the national conversation.
It distributes sanitary napkins to girls in remote areas every month to help them fight period poverty.
Free Periods HK
EveryOne deserves a free period.
Free Periods Hong Kong is a charity focuses on supporting individuals who are experiencing menstruation-related challenges.
Their revenue generated from selling sustainable menstrual products will subsidize free products provided to low-income groups.
月事骄傲PeriodPride
Periods deserve dignity. Every human deserves dignity.
月事骄傲PeriodPride is the first public-interest research organization focusing on Menstruation Hygiene Management in Mainland China.
It focus on the integration of research and practice, and seek to address menstruation-related issues with collective impact.