Diva International and Plan Canada International have collaborated to donate menstrual products and education resources to Indigenous girls, through the James Bay Girls at Bat program.
The partnership will be providing education and products to young girls of the Mushkegowuk Territory in Northern Ontario, according to a press release.
The James Bay Girls at Bat program is run through the Toronto Blue Jays “Jay’s Care” initiative. It is a life-promotion program that has the goal of helping young Indigenous girls develop life skills, peer connections and have a place where they can flourish despite the challenges they face in their lives, according to their website.
“Our core mission is to create a world where menstruation is a fact of life, not life-limiting,” said Alexis Biermann, manager of Diva Cares, in an email statement.
Their work is centered around three pillars: education, access, and advocacy, she said.
DivaCares is the corporate social responsibility program and philanthropic division of Diva International.
“We’ve always donated funds and cups for as long as the company has been running, so it’s always been part of our philosophy to give back,” said Virginia Shay, a communications specialist for Diva International.
“We really wanted to expand … go beyond cup donations and tackle those systemic barriers,” she said.
The stigma surrounding periods leads to a reluctance to discuss period poverty, regardless of the fact that it is something that affects people all over the world, explained Shay.
Diva International was able to donate $10,000 to support Plan Canada International funding, providing it with the ability to donate Diva Cups to the James Bay Girls at Bat program and educational handbooks on periods for the girls attending, explained Shay.
“We knew there was an opportunity to collaborate and put forward a really meaningful initiative that would address taboos and help young women navigate their periods in a way that was supportive and empowering,” said Marie Visca, a Plan Canada International representative, in an email statement.
Part of her organization’s mandate involves giving women and girls platforms to fight for their menstrual rights, Visca said.
“As an organization with a focus on gender equality, we’d be remiss to not acknowledge that girls face significant barriers to leadership simply because they are girls,” said Visca.
Improving access to information and understanding of issues related to periods is key, said Biermann.
“Knowledge is truly power,” she said.
“Fighting to create menstrual equity, or a world where there are no barriers to managing your period without hardship, fits in line perfectly with our vision to revolutionize the period experience,” said Biermann.
Period Poverty
While many might be under the impression that period poverty exists only in significantly poor countries, both Shay and Biermann expressed the importance of acknowledging that inaccessibility regarding menstruation products exists everywhere.
“Period poverty exists anywhere poverty exists, it doesn’t know borders,” explained Shay.
“I never realized how much of an issue period poverty was in Canada until I started working for Diva,” said Biermann.
“We were faced with the knowledge that the issue of period poverty and menstrual inequity challenges people with periods all over the world–from the U.S. and Canada to India, Namibia, Scotland, and beyond,” she said.
One-in-seven girls miss school because of a lack of period access in Canada, revealed a survey from menstrual product company Always.
In 2018, data from Plan International Canada revealed that a third of young women under 25 have struggled to afford menstrual products.
Last year, a subsequent survey from them found that almost two-thirds of women aged 14 to 55 in Canada have had to miss out on an activity because of their period and concerns about not being able to access menstrual hygiene products.
“Period equity was always on my radar, but it wasn’t until I started to do more work that I realized how much of an issue it was,” said Nicole White, the founder of Moon Time Sister.
“I met a woman in Northern Canada who has three daughters and they do not have access to menstrual products so they have to use a sock and wash it over and over again.”
Moon Time Sister is an organization that collects and donates a variety of menstrual products to different organizations, because a period cup might not be the right option for someone living in a community with limited access to clean water, explained White.
“I met a woman in Northern Canada who has three daughters and they do not have access to menstrual products so they have to use a sock and wash it over and over again,” she said.
“Donate, even if it’s just a box of pads and tampons. We all have five or six dollars to spare and it helps a lot,” White added.
Changing the Conversation
A common thread on how to combat period poverty: people need to start having open conversations around periods in order to allow such an important issue to shine through and be tackled.
The shame and stigma is the biggest issue when it comes to period equity, said White.
“Stigma persists. It’s a reminder to all of us of the work to be done to ensure we can cultivate a society that is inclusive and respectful, and where all individuals can access what they need to live healthy, confident and dignified lives,” said Visca.
Period poverty exists because shame and stigma around periods is still deeply ingrained in our society both in Canada and globally, said Biermann.
Open, factual, and easily accessible menstrual education is the only way to effectively deal with period shame, she explained.
“We can’t ignore the fact that many people don’t have access to the products that they need or the education that they need to actually manage their periods,” said Shay.
“Access to menstrual hygiene products and information is a basic human right–not a luxury,” said Visca.
Feature image by Saarah Rasheed.
