Investing in women’s health is investing in the nation’s future.
That is the mission driving the Helping Her Foundation, dedicated to eradicating period poverty in Trinidad and Tobago.
Drawing from this year’s “Give to Gain” theme for International Women’s Day, the non-profit organisation is highlighting how a simple donation of menstrual products can prevent girls from falling behind in school and at work.
One member of the Helping Her Foundation, Dr. Isabella Griffith, shares the deeper meaning behind the organisation’s mission.
“When we think of giving to gain is that we are making an investment in young girls and young women’s lives and what do we gain from that? We don’t gain in terms of the Foundation, but the society gains because now we have women who don’t have to miss out on school or work or sports or socialising because of their period. They’re able to have products and they’re able to do the things that they would normally do on a regular basis.”
Operational for 11 years, she said the Helping Her Foundation has recorded significant stories that continue to impact the daily livelihoods of women and girls.
“We know that women make up a significant amount of the workforce and prior to joining the workforce, they are in school, being educated, secondary school, university and when we think about the age that women have a period, it’s during those years. It’s your education, your formative years, and then the years where you start working and building your career. So when we help to prevent women from missing out because of their period, we allow them to not fall back in terms of their education or in terms of their career.”
By removing the barriers created by period poverty, Dr. Griffith said women will be empowered to reach their full potential and engage in the workforce and their communities equally.
“No woman with a normal period should have to miss out or fall back in relation to these aspects of her life. So when we remove this burden, we allow women to excel in their career, excel in their extracurricular activities, excel in sports as well, because sometimes a period could be a big hindrance to a woman being active and engaging in sporting activities. So there is an immense ripple effect when we provide these communities that don’t have access like the rest of us do. When we provide them with these products, we ensure their future. We ensure the future of the society. We ensure the future of the workforce as well.”
Although period poverty is a national concern, Dr. Griffith said the Helping Her Foundation is seeing a growing need in rural communities, where multiple residents have reached out for support.
“These donations go strictly into buying products from suppliers to then be delivered to homes. But also to help in the education aspect of the Foundation. You can also donate actual menstrual products themselves. So we accept pads, panty liners, and tampons, and we have a courier that does the deliveries. But the courier can also pick up your donations. If you have like a small drive within your school or your community or church, we can then pick up all those donations that you’ve collected and then it comes back to the Foundation, we do packaging and then we send them out for distribution.”
The Helping Her Foundation is currently conducting a donation drive at Babe Cave in Woodbrook. Those interested in supporting the cause can drop off sanitary products directly into the dedicated collection box located at the store front.