500 million women and girls worldwide have no access to menstrual products and education. Red Cross projects promote opportunities and self-determination for women.
Vienna (OTS) – Menstruating puts your health at risk – this is the reality for two million girls and women in Lebanon. They all have limited access to menstrual products and therefore often have to resort to dirty wipes, reusing them several times if necessary. Serious infections and inflammations can result.
The Austrian Red Cross (ÖRK) is helping – both in emergency aid and in its long-term water, sanitation and hygiene programs. In Lebanon, more than 1,500 women and girls in schools and tent settlements are benefiting from this support: They receive important period products, clean sanitation facilities are being expanded, and Red Cross employees are educating people about proper hygiene practices, women’s health and gender roles.
Sanitary pads and soap for schoolgirls – thus more participation in lessons
Lack of access and education in the area of menstrual hygiene not only has health consequences. There are also shame and discrimination. “Many young women stay away from school during their period because they cannot afford sanitary pads, because they are too ashamed or because they are even excluded from the community,” says Michaela Pichler, head of East Africa programs at the WCC. “Menstrual products and sanitary facilities have more than just material value – for young women they mean a chance at education and employment. Education means emancipation and self-empowerment.”
In Ethiopia, the WCC and the Ethiopian Red Cross are working closely together to improve the everyday lives of thousands of girls and women. Last year, 1,200 schoolgirls were provided with period kits – consisting of sanitary pads, soap and underwear. New sanitary facilities allow them to change their products, wash themselves or withdraw if the pain becomes too severe. “After just a few months, the schools have told us that the girls are now attending classes much more regularly,” says Pichler happily.
The Red Cross is also active in the field of education: for example, through a local radio station that broadcast information on menstrual hygiene and access to period products in several languages for six months – reaching one million people.
The long-term aid is possible thanks to partners such as the Austrian Development Agency (ADA), which co-finances the projects in Ethiopia and Lebanon with more than 1.5 million euros.
Women are particularly affected in crises and conflicts
Menstrual Hygiene Day has been celebrated on May 28th for ten years, this year under the motto and with the goal of a #PeriodFriendlyWorld. A world in which taboos and stigma surrounding menstruation are history. Armed conflicts or the climate crisis will continue to make work in this area necessary. Because, especially in crises, the hygiene needs of women and girls are often overlooked. Pichler reminds us: “You have to imagine what it is like for menstruating women on the run. Those who had to leave their homes. Think of the thousands of people who are currently living in Gaza in the most adverse conditions – in makeshift tents, under tarpaulins, in the dirt. They often don’t even have the opportunity to wash their hands, let alone get period products.”
According to the UN, at least 110 million people were displaced in 2023, and almost seven million live in refugee camps. Half of them are women and girls – and are exposed to greater danger and suffering simply because of a completely natural bodily function.
More information about Menstrual Hygiene Day:
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