A girl standing with a pink protest sign that says

Issue

Menstrual Dignity

End Period Poverty. Champion Menstrual Dignity.

Menstrual dignity means ending stigma, breaking harmful gender norms, and making menstrual products affordable and available. With your support, every girl can stay in school, thrive, and bleed with pride.

Menstrual discrimination is everywhere.

Isolation, exclusion, and bullying affect 9 in 10 women, girls, and gender-diverse people. Beyond the pain, it keeps girls out of school and pushes women out of work and community life.

We asked women, girls, men, and boys in 9 countries what menstrual dignity means to them. Here’s what they told us:

Menstrual Dignity Means...

Talking openly about menstruation

Period stigma thrives in silence. By breaking the silence and teaching menstrual health in families, schools, and communities, we end shame and empower women, girls, and gender-diverse people to bleed with pride.

Keeping girls in school

Menstruation should never cost a girl her education. Yet 1 in 4 girls are excluded from class during menstruation, and 1 in 3 are teased by teachers. By providing menstrual health education and affordable products, we make schools safe and supportive so girls can learn every day.

Building supportive communities

When accurate information is missing, myths spread and menstruation is treated as impure. Through menstrual health education in schools and community programs with girls, boys, parents, and leaders, we challenge harmful gender norms and create supportive environments where menstrual dignity is respected.

Ensuring access to menstrual products

No one should be denied dignity because they can’t afford pads or cups. Yet 9 in 10 surveyed lacked access to the products they need. By working with social enterprises, we’re putting menstrual cups and reusable pads into the hands of those who need them most—so every person can bleed with pride.

122.5K

Menstrual hygiene products distributed between 2023-2024

These include 2,000 menstrual cups donated by Fòs Feminista to community-based partners in Brazil and Mexico to support women’s and girls’ access to free menstrual hygiene products.

Teen leader for menstrual dignity

After I understood what menstrual dignity was, I felt an enormous desire to make a difference in the lives of women and girls like me. Manuela Itajaci, peer educator for Black girls
Instituto Odara, Brazil

School-Based Outreach, Philippines

Menstrual Dignity in the Classroom

With Fòs Feminista partner PANTAY, a national high school in the Philippines is now integrating menstrual health and rights into its curriculum. Training materials developed by PANTAY are helping teachers and students bring menstrual dignity into schools and communities.

Policy Change, Nigeria

Nigeria’s First Menstrual Health Policy

Fòs Feminista partner EVA led a national advocacy effort—alongside other Fòs Feminista partners—to establish Nigeria’s first policy, which was approved in August 2025. The new policy recognizes menstrual health as a matter of dignity, equity, and human rights. 

Donation, Brazil

Menstrual cups for girls in Maré

In 2024, Fòs Feminista donated menstrual cups to our partner Redes da Maré, a community-led organization located in the Maré favelas of Rio de Janeiro. These cups give girls a sustainable way to manage their periods—and the chance to stay in school with dignity.