Everyone get ready to celebrate because this Saturday, May 28th is Menstrual Hygiene day! Really? That doesn’t sound very exciting actually. Why would we want to have a party for menstrual hygiene?
Think about it. Here in America, we have access to an amazing quantity and variety of inexpensive menstrual hygiene items such as tampons, pads, and even menstrual cups. We have clean running water with private stalls in our public restrooms. That isn’t the case in many countries around the globe. Menstrual Hygiene Day helps to spread awareness about this important issue that most American women take for granted every day.
Check out this infographic showing how menstrual hygiene is important around the world. Girls often miss school because they don’t have feminine supplies to use and/or adequate bathroom facilities at school. Some women take birth control in order to stop their periods because they don’t have proper bathroom facilities in the factories where they work. Also there is a stigma or taboo about a menstruating woman in many cultures leading girls to be ashamed and banned from society during their menstruation. In Kenya, a menstruating woman may not milk a cow for fear that the cows will get sick and die.
Menstruation is a normal part of a woman’s reproductive cycle and yet our sisters around the globe struggle with hardships that are preventable and easily solved. Let’s take the time to spread the word about menstrual hygiene… and perhaps be a bit more thankful for the “comforts” we enjoy in America.