Hurricane Maria: Empower Women in Puerto Rico

Youth in Puerto Rico kicked off a new school year this month, nearly one year after Hurricane Maria left many displaced from their homes and in devastating circumstances for months to come.

Displacement from your home creates a number of challenges. While many people recognize that replacing your safe shelter may be a top priority, Jake’s Diapers is committed to supporting basic needs often overlooked.

This list includes period products, and are certainly an important necessity for someone to attend school while menstruating.

“After Hurricane Maria hit, menstrual items were impossible to find, disposables or cloth,” said Loraine, a Puerto Rico mom who distributes many of our donations there. “Disposables prices shot up, and even though food was sent to relieve, menstrual items were scarce or not sent.”

Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico on Sept. 20, 2017, taking at least 2,975 lives and creating ongoing devastation. For example, 1.5 million people lost power throughout Puerto Rico as a result of the storm, and electricity was just restored last month to the last affected community. That’s 328 days without power.

Recipients of cloth period products from Jake’s Diapers were positively overwhelmed with this basic need solved.

“I had an avalanche of schools asking me to give orientation and pads. Parents asked for them and yes, we also had cases where parents didn't care and young girls were stealing or doing other things to buy their basic needs like disposables menstrual pads. Cloth helped them.

Thank you, donors, for providing this relief to young students still dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. I encourage you to reach me at stephanie@jakesdiapers.org with any questions you may have. I'd love to hear from you. 

~ Stephanie

P.S. GlobalGiving is still doubling donations thanks to it's Hurricane Maria One Year Anniversary Campaign. Every donation, no matter the size, adds up to big change. 

Wow. I can hardly believe we are approaching one year since Puerto Rico was devastated by Hurricanes Irma & Maria.  Poco a poco (little by little), Puerto Rico is rebuilding, thanks to you. It is you that has made a lasting impact in the life of Jesulis, and other women just like her who lost their homes and more in the storm. 

Starting today, we have an amazing opportunity to help even more women & girls: GlobalGiving's Disaster Recovery Network is matching donations. 

Period products may not be the first thing that comes to mind when disaster strikes, and disaster relief programs along with federal safety net programs don't cover the cost of period products. That's not all, period products are also taxable, making them even more costly. 

With your support, we began providing reusable period product kits. These kits each contain 10 cloth pads and a discreet bag to carry them in. We chose reusable cloth pads because of environmental benefits as well as logistics. A reusable supply solves period poverty. 

An unanticipated bonus is the way our cloth products have helped those struggling with health issues related to the use of disposables.

Jesulis was one of the first women we distributed a cloth pad kit, back in January. When I saw her again a few months later, she made sure to tell me how much better the cloth products were for her. It was a night and day difference for her, and she was so appreciative.

“Many have become allergic to the chemical disposable products have, and cloth helps them tremendously, ” said Loraine, a Puerto Rico mom who helps distribute donations from Jake’s Diapers.

Even if not allergic, period products are an often overlooked necessity that people living in poverty struggle to afford.

In Puerto Rico, for example, where the poverty rate is an astonishing 43.5% according to United States Census Bureau data, many households struggle to afford basic needs. Period products cannot be obtained with SNAP or WIC benefits, and many people simply do not think of the need when making in-kind donations to local organizations.

Thank you for support Jake’s Diapers so we can provide cloth period products to support the people unable to either use or afford disposable products - and allow them to enjoy a clean, healthy and active life.

~ Stephanie

P.S. All donations are matched at 100% starting today!