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'deep frustration and hatred of what your body is doing': the girl guides tackle period poverty

they may be an unexpected ally for helping to bring period products to girls and women around the world, but the girl guides are combating stigma around menstruation and period poverty.

by daneese rao

published feb 23, 2022

5 minute read

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5 minute read

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girl guides take action to address period poverty

myths and taboos around menstruation can limit the opportunities available to girls — particularly the notion that girls are “unclean” while they are menstruating. getty

advocates trying to make menstrual hygiene products and information more accessible have found some unexpected — but powerful — allies: girl guides. many canadians are familiar with the girl guides’ cookie sales, but the organization is also increasingly working to address “period poverty” and helping to educate young people about menstrual hygiene.

period poverty refers to “the globally prevalent phenomenon of being unable to afford menstrual products,” and a lack of access to resources such as toilets, hand washing facilities and menstrual hygiene management information, says saadya hamdani, director of gender equality at plan international canada, an ngo dedicated to advancing the rights of children and equality for girls.

she says that this can result in using unsafe or unsanitary alternatives such as “rags, or cardboard, or paper towels and even in many, many contexts, dried leaves.”

a 2019

plan international canada survey showed that 27 per cent of canadian girls and women reported that they occasionally had to sacrifice something else within their budgets to afford menstrual hygiene products, while eight per cent reported doing this regularly.

in 2020, bc girl guides turned its attention to period poverty and partnered with the period promise, a campaign led by united way british columbia, and organized collection drives for menstrual products.

covid-19 vaccine linked to 'small, temporary' change in menstrual cycle; not concerning say experts

on average, menstrual cycles increased by 0.71 days after the first dose of the covid-19 vaccine and 0.91 days after the second.

on average, a menstrual cycle is approximately 25 to 30 days in length, however, many experience cycles outside of this range. getty

city will offer free menstrual products at four facilities as a pilot project

staff estimate the one-year pilot project will cost $58,000.

file photo of ottawa city council

at a girl guides event in february and an international women’s day event in march 2020, members of the organization collected hundreds of donated boxes of tampons, pads and other period supplies, says diamond isinger, the bc girl guides provincial commissioner. these products were then distributed to various community organizations, including shelters, neighbourhood houses and food banks.

isinger says that the partnership was an obvious fit for the girl guides, given that the organization’s programming tends to be “girl-driven.”

“one of the activities or one of the sort of global or social concerns that we knew that a lot of our girls were interested in was related to period poverty,” she says. “some of them had heard about it in school or the community or just understood it from their own experiences.”

in addition to the menstrual product collection drives, some girl guide groups have organized menstrual hygiene talks for their members with local public health nurses or specialists.

“they can offer them some advice on when you get your period, how’s the best way to handle that? what are the types of products that are available? not just pads, not just tampons, but what are other options? you know, menstrual cups, for example. a lot of our groups explored topics like that through educational presentations,” she says.

neal adolph, the provincial director of the labour participation department at united way british columbia and the lead on the period promise campaign, says the girl guides are uniquely positioned to help address period poverty.

“i think the girl guides are like the secret superpower,” he says. “that’s because they’re a volunteer-run network of deeply passionate leaders and mentors that are caring deeply about the future generations of their community and, particularly, supporting and enhancing the leadership potential and the self-confidence of girls.”

the involvement of the girl guides is also an encouraging sign that young people are taking an active role in combating stigma around menstruation and period poverty, adds adolph.

“people who menstruate have all had a moment where they needed a pad or tampon and they didn’t have one on hand and they were out and about … and there was that moment of insecurity, panic, and then also deep frustration and hatred of what your body is doing.” he says. “i think young people are doing this because they understand that that is inherently not right and it’s not acceptable. and i think that’s awesome.”

girl guides are uniquely positioned to help address period poverty. getty

girl guides are uniquely positioned to help address period poverty. getty

girl guides around the world take on period poverty

bc girl guides aren’t alone in its efforts — girl guides around the world are taking action on menstrual hygiene education and period poverty.

according to the world association of girl guides and girl scouts

(wagggs), in may 2021, girl guides and scouts in countries including nepal, india, malaysia, kenya and tanzania organized educational activities and advocacy opportunities in recognition of menstrual hygiene day and red pride week.

in partnership with the german ngo wash united, wagggs has developed rosie’s world, a menstrual hygiene education program that is delivered by girl guiding and girl scouting associations in sub-saharan africa.

initiatives such as rosie’s world are important because “the world is changing around us,” says linda amoak, who has volunteered with the ghana girl guides association for five years. “we are encouraging more girls to go to school, and to take up leadership roles.”

but amoak says that myths and taboos around menstruation can limit the opportunities available to girls — particularly the notion that girls are “unclean” while they are menstruating and should refrain from certain activities.

“when you’re in menses, you can’t go to the chief’s [king’s] palace ,” she says. “…you are [also] not allowed to go to school because other people might feel you are unclean.”

fighting menstrual myths

these are the myths that rosie’s world helps fight. it also teaches girls how to safely manage their periods.

“we always ensure that the girls get the right

information in a very simple way so that they can really appreciate what they are learning and then use it profitably in their lives,” says sylvia yirenkyi, a co-ordinator at the ghana girl guides association.

in addition to educational efforts, the ghana girl guides association hopes to make menstrual products more accessible by advocating for the end of a 20 per cent tax on pads, which are classified as a luxury good. the groups has launched a petition, a social media campaign and have submitted a policy document to the ghanaian government calling for the end of the tax.

hamdani says that it is important to remember that menstrual products are an “essential need,” and not an “ancillary luxury item, but a core element, which is related to the rights of women and girls and all those who menstruate.”

amoak agrees.

“because of these taxes, a lot of girls are not able to practice their menstruation hygienically because they do not use the right materials and products,” she says, adding that while the tax is still in place, the girl guides have launched an initiative to teach girls in rural areas of the country how to make their own safe and reusable pads.

while the girl guides may be an unexpected ally, the reasons for taking on period poverty and menstrual hygiene education are simple, according to amoak.

“this was something that is affecting women, so why not speak for girls around the country?”

daneese rao is a writer in the dalla lana fellowship in global journalism program at the university of toronto.

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