supporting girls for menstrual health in Pakistan

Half of the world’s population will spend half of their lives menstruating (or, having periods), yet 500 million women and girls around the world lack access to menstrual hygiene materials and safe, clean facilities. This “period poverty” is detrimental to their physical, mental, and emotional health. The Joy Foundation Toba Tek Singh Pakistan started a project with GlobalGiving US to support rural girls on their special days. We organize seminars with girls and highlight the importance of including menstrual health and share the hygiene kits with girls in which we give them pads and others important things which they are needed during these days to safe themselves hygienically, and we call for increased action, policies, and resources to support menstrual health.

Menstrual health includes having information about menstruation and self-care; access to menstrual hygiene materials; diagnosis and treatment for menstrual cycle disorders; and the ability to be free from stigma and discrimination related to menstruation.  

Women and girls around the world may sacrifice other aspects of their health and lives to protect their menstrual health. For example, some adolescent girls may engage in transactional sex to purchase period products, which can endanger their lives and health by increasing their risk of pregnancy, infection, and violence. A lack of menstrual hygiene management including clean water and safe washroom facility in schools coupled with the stigma surrounding menstruation leads to girls staying at home and missing school. When they have to choose between managing their menstrual health or facing shame and humiliation at school, girls miss out on their education. Additionally, when women and girls have their periods they may be prevented from attending large events, bathing, or cooking because they are thought to be unclean. Isolated from others and stripped of basic human dignity, women and girls are often shunned from society in more ways than one. Addressing menstrual health is also a human rights issue.

Joy Foundation keep in mind all these problems of the girls during these days and start their project with girls from different rural areas of Toba Tek Singh. In the beginning Team of Joy Foundation visit three villages and have sharing with the girls about this project girls liked it very much and interested to have more information in this regards. Joy Foundation organized seminars in each village and during the seminar distribute hygiene kits to the girls. Joy Foundation organized seminars in village Chak No 325 J.B Dullam, village Chak No 328 J.B, village Chak No 296 G.B in each village Joy Foundation distribute hygiene kits to the 50 girls. Then in Total Joy Foundation distribute150 hygiene kits to the girls.

Through this report we would like to thanks all our donors how funds for this big issues of Pakistani girls and we really your support to continue these activities and support for the Pakistani girls.