Hurricane Maria has devastated Puerto Rico. This fund will provide diapers and period products at no cost to our partner agencies, who are recovering and rebuilding. When we think about disaster recovery, we tend to think about hunger, homelessness, and clean water. Hygiene products, including diapers and period products, are an overlooked, yet crucial, basic need. Proper hygiene helps individuals experience a sense of self worth and live with dignity.
Diapers and period products are an overlooked basic need. Many caregivers are forced to choose between food & diapers, and many girls and women skip school or work without an adequate supply of period products. With a federal poverty rate of 44%, now amplified by Hurricane Maria, those individuals who rely on diapers are struggling to meet basic hygiene needs. All people deserve to live clean lives and experience dignity.
Just 12 cloth diapers can diaper a baby from infancy through potty-training, meaning these babies can finally have diapers, instead of going without. In many places, we see decreased infant mortality rates and increased quality of life through cleaner environments and more availability of basic living needs. Providing period products helps girls and women, including moms, actively participate in society such as go to work or school. This is important to overcoming poverty.
As our partner organizations in Puerto Rico continue to have their hygiene needs solved, they are able to save funds and plan for future improvements in their care. This can mean adding educational programs, offering better healthcare, improved quality of food (more protein!) - all steps that set these babies up for long term survival and productive members of society.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
