Addressing Hygiene and Period Poverty- An Overview
Girls who lack access to essential hygiene and period products face substantial negative impacts on their overall well-being, including their stress levels, self-esteem, and school performance. Path & Green- a 501(c)3 non-profit- executed their Personal Care Bag Program and Hygiene Bag Program during the 2023-2024 school year to address the issues of hygiene insecurity and period poverty for Lorain County girls in need by serving girls at a number of Lorain County. These programs served girls across school districts, private and charter schools, and community organizations. Their implementation was made possible through t grants from Cleveland Clinic, Lorain Medina Rural Electric Cooperative, the Women’s Fund, an affiliate of the Community Foundation of Lorain County, Lakeland Community Foundation, Thrivent, and 4imprint.com., as well as monetary support and product donations by 100 Women Who Care about Lorain County, GrowPoint Church, GreenPath CPA Solutions, CraftersChange, GiveBackBox, Second Harvest of North Central Ohio, Change the Cycle, and many community organizations throughout Lorain County.
Hygiene insecurity is the lack of access to essential hygiene products such as soap, deodorant, and toothpaste, while period poverty denotes a lack of access to menstrual products like pads and tampons. Both are crucial for maintaining health, self-esteem, and dignity.
Focusing on our Personal Care Program, we served a total of 311 unduplicated girls in grades 9-12.. This program provides personalized hygiene products once per semester and period products up to four times per semester. Before receiving hygiene items, we surveyed all 311 participants to understand how the lack of these products affected their daily lives. After their first order, we surveyed approximately 70% of the participants again to assess the positive impact of having access to hygiene products. In total, our Personal Care Program distributed 28,377 hygiene and period items.
The survey results highlighted the extensive challenges girls face due to the lack of essential products. Notably, 90% of girls reported regularly running out of hygiene products, and 83% ran out of period products. Many indicated that their self-esteem suffered from attending school without these products. This scarcity caused significant stress, with 9 out of 10 girls feeling more stressed without access to hygiene or period products, and 68% reporting financial stress for themselves or their families due to the cost of these products.
The lack of access also impacted school attendance and performance, with 40% of girls missing school due to the absence of period products. Additionally, 70% resorted to using alternatives like toilet paper, paper towels, socks, or rags during their periods.
Despite these challenges, our program yielded positive outcomes. An average of 92% of girls felt that receiving free hygiene and period products improved their self-esteem, confidence, and overall health while reducing personal and family stress. These findings underscore the need for targeted programs that provide hygiene and period products to girls in need in a dignified and timely manner.
During the past school year, Path & Green also served 874 unduplicated girls and distributed 27,264 free products through the Hygiene Bag Program, helping young girls (5th graders) start puberty with proper hygiene education and access to necessary products.
Looking ahead, Path & Green plans to expand its reach to more girls across Lorain County by providing hygiene and period products to 18 entities. We will also engage in grassroots advocacy to address these pressing issues further. While our work has a profoundly positive impact, there is still much to be done to alleviate the adversity faced by many due to hygiene insecurity and period poverty.
We encourage you to read our full report, accessible by clicking on the link below, to understand how Path & Green is committed to ending hygiene insecurity and period poverty, thereby bringing hope and a brighter future to girls in Lorain County. We hope this report initiates a broader dialogue and raises awareness about these critical issues.
