Scotland to Provide Free Sanitary Products to Students

be artsy's Rato Baltin project uses culturally relevant education, menstrual kit distribution, and engages religious leaders to challenge discriminatory practices against those who menstruate. Since launching in 2017, the group has reached 80,000 people and distributed over 5,500 menstrual cups, while simultaneously helping shift perspectives around menstruating.

In an effort to combat cultural stigma, misinformation and harmful behaviors, several groups and individuals are emerging to teach women about sexual health, pleasure and overall wellness, particularly in rural areas where information is sparse.

Discovering Hands trains blind women as Medical Tactile Examiners to detect breast lumps through highly sensitive touch. Originally developed in Germany, the program expanded to India in 2017, addressing both a shortage of mammography equipment and cultural stigma around breast examinations. A 2023 pilot study of 104 patients confirmed MTEs perform as accurately as trained doctors, with some data showing they detect tissue changes 30% better than physicians. Patients also report they’re more comfortable seeing the MTEs, breaking down barriers that previously led to delayed diagnoses.

StrongMinds provides group therapy run by trained community members to help locals treat and manage their depression, as access to therapists in more rural areas is scarce. Since the organization launched in 2013, half a million people have gone through the treatment program and three-quarters of the participants have been screened as being free of depression symptoms two weeks after completing the program.

In Niger, an initiative challenging menstrual stigma is promoting knowledge and hygiene through community engagement and mentorship. Since 2019, the foundation has reached over 20 schools, 35 communities, more than 3,000 women and girls.

Brencare Foundation’s Safe Space Project meets once a week within local schools to provide menstrual health, hygiene, sexual and gender-based violence education to girls in need. So far, the Foundation has reached about 5,000 women and girls across several communities with its education efforts.

Hope Center offers free medical services, including psychosocial and counseling services, for victims of sexual and gender-based violence. The Center also collaborates with the legal system to work to achieve justice for survivors.

Girls&More educates girls on menstruation, puberty and menstrual hygiene. The group travels to schools and throughout rural communities to talk to girls and provide them with sanitary pads and other resources they may struggle to access.

PLAN International is a global organization that works to increase the rights and access to gender-responsive, adolescent-friendly, and inclusive menstrual health management. The organization set up Pad Banks in schools and has also partnered with local advocacy groups to train and educate young women and girls on menstrual health and hygiene, all in hopes to address stigma, misinformation, and period poverty.

A Nigeria-based NGO is setting out to address period poverty by providing those in need with reusable sanitary napkins and also teaching them how to make the products themselves, all while educating them on menstrual hygiene and working to reduce the stigma surrounding periods.