Period Poverty Jamaica

#EndPeriodPoverty set to launch

For the fourth consecutive year, Always® will continue its outreach efforts by providing thousands of girls

For the fourth consecutive year, Always® will continue its outreach efforts by providing thousands of girls across Jamaica with sanitary pads to help improve access and meet their monthly needs.  

This year our aim is to donate over 200,000 sanitary pads to 14 schools (one in each parish) as we continue to face the harsh realities of the COVID-19 pandemic which exacerbated conditions like unemployment and high food prices. As a result, period products are usually not at the top of the priority list in many households.  For teenage girls especially, not having period protection can affect her mental well-being impacting school attendance, academic results and social activities like sports and clubs. In some instances, many girls end up missing up to one year of school throughout their school life, which limits their potential to excel far beyond puberty. 

The Always #EndPeriodPoverty campaign was officially launched on Monday 21st March 2022 and will run until Monday 20th June 2022. During this time, consumers have the opportunity to get involved with the initiative. Every Always purchase triggers a donation, for every pack of Always pads purchased, Always® will in turn directly donate to a girl in need. 

NGO HerFlow Foundation will once again partner with Always® to assist with the distribution of the 200,000 plus pads. HerFlow has been the foremost authority in Jamaica on period poverty, consistently raising awareness of the issue and executing multiple outreach programmes to communities and females in need. The NGO will assist in ensuring the donation of Always pads are distributed to the young girls at the schools. 

As part of the campaign, a host of social media influencers will be engaged to help increase awareness, educate and advocate for the needs of girls and women facing period poverty. Some of this year’s influencers are Yendi Phillips, Natoya Goule, Mekelia Green, Sanneta Myrie and Kalilah Reynolds.

Tamara Thompson, General Manager, Consumer Brands Limited (local distributor of Always®) said “It is distressing to know that some girls have to turn to unsafe alternatives like toilet paper, rags, and newspaper to manage their periods and then end up missing out on school and classes. Lack of access to period products should never stand in the way of a girl and her education. Always® remains committed to ensuring that all girls are able to confidently go to school. We will continue to take action to help #EndPeriodPoverty. Together, let’s dismantle the stigmas around menstruation and help our girls realize their full potential.”

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