Cease the Cycle: Bringing Awareness to Period Poverty

Cease the Cycle is a nonprofit organization focused on bringing awareness to the rising issue that is period poverty. They strive to not only raise money to donate but to educate people on the severity of period poverty all around the world. The idea to create Cease the Cycle began with a Hosa project, Alina Teodorescu and Ananya Diddee were stuck at a crossroads, unable to figure out what they could do for their community awareness project. That was until Ananya remembered her past times volunteering with a period poverty organization in India. The idea for a non-profit period poverty educational program was born and third group member Yasmin Leithead joined the group. Together their vision began, they leveraged social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok to spread awareness about their campaign as well as period poverty as a whole. They are planning multiple events to bring in donations and more awareness to the project. Events include a wearing red/pink day on Wednesday February 14th, to show support for those struggling with period poverty and a bake sale in mid – march to raise money for charities that aim to help those struggling with period poverty. There are updates about events on their Instagram, and their TikTok. They also have a general donations link that can be used whenever, and all proceeds made through this link will be given to charity or to women’s shelters.  

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Period poverty is a global issue affecting millions of individuals and refers to the lack of access to menstrual hygiene products, proper sanitation facilities, or menstrual education. The issue disproportionately impacts women and girls in low-income communities, hindering their health, education, and overall well-being.  

The Global Scope of the Problem

Period poverty is not limited to a specific region or group of people. It is a widespread challenge affecting women and girls in both developing and developed countries. In many low-income nations, the lack of resources and infrastructure exacerbates the issue, making it difficult for individuals to access basic menstrual hygiene products. 

Many places around the world such as rural villages, and refugee camps prevent women from being able to find menstrual supplies at a low cost. If they do, the cost of buying them monthly is so large that many times they must choose between food or menstrual products.  

In some cases, cultural taboos surrounding menstruation contribute to the stigma and silence surrounding the issue. This silence often hinders the implementation of effective policies and interventions to address period poverty. For example, in some places in Nepal, girls are banished to illegalized sheds called "chhaupadi" while menstruating. In India, menstruating women are often excluded from social and religious events. Those who manage to remain in their communities are often too embarrassed to dry out their menstrual rag cloths after washing, thereby risking many health consequences.  

There are several initiatives and organizations working to address period poverty globally. Governments, NGOs, and grassroots movements are advocating for policies that ensure free or affordable access to menstrual hygiene products for people who can’t afford them. Some initiatives also focus on destigmatizing menstruation through education and awareness campaigns. 

Additionally, efforts are underway to integrate comprehensive menstrual education into school curricula, globally, breaking the silence and normalizing discussions around menstruation. To truly break the cycle of period poverty it’s important to go beyond just providing menstrual products and help destigmatize it in the global community. 

The Negative Effects of the Stigma

The stigma around menstruation has been around forever, with evidence dating back to AD70. Throughout the years, women on their periods have experienced unfair views of being dirty and unclean, even though it’s a natural process. It is seen as shameful to discuss periods, and a lot of women feel embarrassed because of it. This unfair stigma has significant effects in our world today, including high levels of period poverty around the world, unequal knowledge on male vs female biology, and the refrain from instigating change.  According to a survey in 2018, many women have been concerned with symptoms from their periods, however they did not go to see a medical professional because they felt it should be kept hidden, or believed it wasn’t a serious enough issue. This stems from the stigma and it causes these women to suffer unnecessarily. Because of this stigma, it could lead to women not getting help with their health issues and may result in serious harm to their bodies. As well as health concerns, women often feel embarrassed to buy period products at the store because of this stigma and judgement. The cost of these products is also insanely high. The cost has been an issue for a while, and has been brought to light, however because of the stigma, no real change has been made to the price or accessibility because it’s seen as unimportant. Many women in both America and around the world, have to deal with period poverty as a result. Last, but not least, there is said to be a knowledge gap between what most doctors know about the male body and systems vs the female. This is because the medical field was late to start researching the female body and menstruation because of the negative stigma, and therefore there is less in-depth research and knowledge than there should be today.  

Global reach:  Period poverty is a global issue affecting millions of individuals and refers to the lack of access to menstrual hygiene products, proper sanitation facilities, or menstrual education. The issue disproportionately impacts women and girls in low-income communities, hindering their health, education, and overall well-being.