Period poverty affects hundreds of millions of girls worldwide, driven by a lack of menstrual products, safe sanitation facilities and basic menstruation education.
A mix of financial, social and systemic barriers, including high costs, poor infrastructure and social stigmas, makes it nearly impossible for girls to manage their periods with dignity.
Local churches around the world are providing practical solutions, such as sewing reusable pads and providing education throughout their communities.
A girl’s first period shouldn’t be a moment of fear or shame. Yet for hundreds of millions of girls, something as natural as menstruation becomes a monthly struggle that makes them feel ashamed and isolated.
God created every girl in his image with value that no circumstance can diminish. But without safe menstrual products, places to care for their bodies or a supportive community, girls feel stripped of their God-given dignity and future opportunities.
Keep reading to discover what period poverty really is, why it happens, and how one local church is working to restore dignity, ensuring girls feel known, loved and protected.
So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. — Genesis 1:27, NIV
What Is Period Poverty?
Did you know: More than 300 million women and girls are menstruating around the world each day, according to the World Bank.
But an estimated 500 million can’t get menstrual products or find safe facilities for managing their hygiene.
Millions are also unaware of or unprepared for menstruation because they’re not educated about it, and social stigmas in their communities prevent it from being talked about. According to UNICEF, one study in Ethiopia found that less than half of the girls surveyed knew about their periods before their first one.
This is period poverty: lacking access to menstrual products, safe sanitation and health education.
It’s being unable to afford or get hygiene products like sanitary pads or even soap.
It’s lacking a private bathroom or even clean water to care for yourself.
It’s being confused about what’s happening to your body but feeling too ashamed or scared to ask.
It’s being held back from future opportunities because you feel you can’t go to school without pads or tampons.
It’s potentially suffering preventable infections that could impact your entire life.
5 Key Causes of Period Poverty
Period poverty is caused by a mix of barriers that are far beyond any girl’s control: financial, social and systemic.
1. Poverty
Women and girls already living in poverty struggle to meet their survival needs, such as food or shelter. When you must choose between feeding your gnawing belly or buying pads, the choice, while incredibly hard, is obvious.
2. Cost of Menstrual Products
Menstrual products cost far more than many people can afford. In the U.S., two in five struggle to buy them, and in many countries, they’re taxed as “non-essential” items, driving prices even higher.
Supply chain gaps add to the cost — especially in rural areas where products must be imported, making them even more expensive.
3. Poor Infrastructure
Safe, private and clean bathrooms aren’t common for many girls. In some impoverished communities, for example, there are no reliable water sources or plumbing. This means girls must go without toilets or even sinks for washing their hands.
4. Social Stigmas
In many places around the world, talking about your period is frowned upon or even forbidden, preventing girls from seeking help or getting the products they need. And in some cultures, menstruation is seen as “dirty” or “impure,” resulting in practices like forced isolation.
5. A Lack of Education
Many girls aren’t educated about menstruation before their period starts, leaving them scared and uncertain, not knowing how to care for their bodies. This lack of education also fuels social stigmas and negative opinions surrounding menstruation, perpetuating the issue of period poverty.
How Does Period Poverty Impact Girls?
When girls can’t get the menstrual products, sanitary facilities and education they need, the consequences are far-reaching. Period poverty doesn’t end when their cycle does — it can alter the course of their lives.
Missed Learning & Fewer Opportunities
The shame girls feel while menstruating is worsened by the potential embarrassment of going without products like tampons or pads in public. Many girls feel forced to hide instead of going to school.
One study estimates that one in 10 girls in Sub-Saharan Africa misses school during their period. Sadly, missed school leads to lower grades and increased dropout risk — challenges that can prevent them from pursuing further education or building the skills needed for steady-paying jobs.
Increased Health Risks
Without pads or tampons, girls are forced to use whatever they can find, such as rags, paper or leaves. This increases their risk of infections that threaten their well-being now and in the future. Too many infections over time can lead to devastating reproductive health issues like infertility.
A lack of sanitary facilities like bathrooms worsens these risks. Without clean water and a place to wash up, infections can be spread to others.
Mental Health Concerns
The consistent lack of products, facilities and support takes a toll on girls’ mental health. While menstruating, girls carry a heartbreaking mental load, month after month.
Will I leak? Will I have to miss school again? Will they make fun of me? Am I going to fail at school? What if I get sick?
This constant fear may lead to crippling anxiety, lowered self-esteem and an overarching feeling of hopelessness. It may also lead to isolation, leaving girls feeling alone and unsupported.
Menstrual Equity: Sewing Dignity in Kenya
No girl should risk her health, shrink beneath shame or lose her chance of a bright future for something so natural. Every girl deserves to manage her period with dignity. And that’s the foundation of menstrual equity. What is menstrual equity?
Menstrual equity (or period equity) means ensuring all girls have the products, safe spaces and education they need to properly care for their bodies during their periods.
At Compassion, our mission is to release children from poverty in Jesus’ name. And that means providing girls with the care they need to thrive with the help of local churches in their communities.
One such church in Kenya is taking menstrual equity to heart. By sewing reusable sanitary pads and providing community education, they’re breaking menstrual stigmas and ensuring girls can care for themselves with dignity.
A Community of Girls Marked by Shame
Kalabata is an impoverished community in remote Kenya. Here, shops are scarce, and essentials like sanitary pads are expensive and often unavailable.
Most families can’t afford these essentials, so girls turn to layered pieces of old cloth. They sit in silence at school, fearful of staining their uniforms, avoiding participation and sometimes staying home altogether.
For girls growing up here, managing their periods has long been a challenge marked by shame. It’s a heartbreaking experience 14-year-old Leah remembers well.
“My parents couldn’t regularly afford sanitary towels from the shop. I used to dread going to school when my period came.” — Leah
Things began to shift when the local church in Kalabata, in partnership with Compassion, launched a modest pilot program — distributing sanitary pads to the girls served at the church’s Compassion center.
The Start of a Community Transformation
What began as a short-term solution quickly evolved into something more. Two women from the church were selected and sent to a regional training, where they learned how to sew reusable sanitary pads.
The women used their newfound skills to sew pads for the girls in their community. Each pad featured three different fabrics: one for absorbing, another for comfort and the third for leak prevention. This simple act of empowerment began a community transformation.
“The towels we make have helped girls. Most of them don’t have the resources to buy from the shops. But with this sanitary towel, they have a pack of three that can last them a whole year if they care for them properly.” — Judy, Lead trainer at the Compassion center
Leah and her friends were now able to attend school with confidence. And because the towels were reusable, they never had to miss another class.
“This one pack keeps me going for the rest of the year. All I need to do is wash it.” — Leah
Education to Stop Menstrual Stigmas
In a community where menstruation had long been covered in shame and silence, the church saw an opportunity to go further.
Led by Compassion center staff, the church launched an educational campaign in local schools. Not only to distribute pads but to talk openly about menstrual hygiene — even with the boys.
“Menstruation is still a taboo conversation in our community. One of our aims was to break the taboo of menstrual shame. We intentionally involved boys during our events. We wanted them to know how to support girls during their periods instead of bullying and teasing.” — Jacky, staff member at the Compassion center
Jacky remembers a question she received from a boy during one of the events. “So, what do you do when a girl has a stain?” he asked. The room grew quiet, and Jacky gently replied, “You offer her your sweater, not your laughter.”
Answering God’s Call to Defend the Dignity of Girls
Today, things are different in Kalabata. Teachers report fewer absences among girls. Those who used to keep their heads down during class now raise their hands with confidence.
“Girls need this kind of support — or else they would drop out of school due to menstrual shame.” — Jacky
For girls like Leah, the difference is life-changing. “It took getting used to,” says Leah. “But now I’m comfortable with the sanitary towels. I can move around freely and focus on my studies.”
This local church is doing more than just delivering menstrual products — they’re defending the dignity of God’s girls. They’re combating shame with stitches and doing their part to clothe girls with the dignity they need to step into their God-given potential with confidence.
She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.
— Proverbs 31:25, NIV
While period poverty affects millions of girls, there’s hope. Around the world, local churches and people just like you are willing to stand in the gap for those in need. You can deliver the critical love and care children and youth need to thrive by partnering with Compassion.
