The Flow Initiative, USOW Launch National Period Poverty Campaign

Today, The Flow Initiative - a local organization dedicated to addressing period poverty and accelerating access to menstrual health products - announced the End Period Poverty campaign in partnership with the United State of Women (USOW) The campaign raises awareness of period poverty nationwide and provides resources for people who menstruate and allies to advocate for menstrual equity.

“Each day, there are millions of people who menstruate that are living in period poverty across the United States. These are women, girls, and LGBTQ+ people who have their livelihoods disrupted due to a lack of access to menstrual health products. They suffer in silence and shame,” said Eiko La Boria, Founder of The Flow Initiative and USOW New Jersey Ambassador. “Our new campaign will raise awareness of period poverty and provide ways for people who menstruate and allies to get involved at a grassroots level in their community. Menstruation matters.”

Nationwide, there are an estimated 16.9 million people who menstruate living in poverty in the United States according to the Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology. Always, the global leader in feminine care, uncovered that one in five American girls have either left school early or missed school entirely because they did not have access to period products. Despite the research, there is a lack of public understanding and advocacy on period poverty in US communities. As a result, organizations such as The Flow Initiative launched period poverty drives, conducted educational menstruation workshops, and raised awareness through programs to reach people who menstruate at a grassroots level and ignite local change.

“At USOW, we believe in supporting all those who menstruate and are proud to collaborate with The Flow Initiative on this national health issue,” said Morgan Johnson, Associate Director of Programs at USOW. “In addition to raising educational awareness, we will also drive people to email their representatives to support the Menstrual Equity For All Act which can help accelerate access to menstrual health products for those most vulnerable in our society.”

The issue-based digital campaign is strategically tied with Period Poverty Awareness Week, which begins tomorrow and will conclude on Sunday, May 29. The campaign will focus on period poverty across three core areas which are to raise educational awareness of the issue, provide ways for people to get involved at a grassroots level in their community, and drive people to email their representatives to support the Menstrual Equity For All Act.

Nationwide, an extra fee on menstrual hygiene products allows states to profit from menstruation — $120 million per year, according to Period Equity — while anyone who menstruates is unfairly paying the price. Fourteen states and Washington, DC have succeeded so far – Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, and Ohio. States are continuing to repeal tampon taxes in 2022. Despite these efforts to address the pink tax, more work is required to eradicate period poverty and provide access to those who menstruate nationwide.

To make an impact, the End Period Poverty campaign encourages people to email their representatives and to support the Menstrual Equity For All Act, which would increase access to free menstrual products for vulnerable communities. The bill also requires Medicaid to cover menstrual products, as well as liners, cups, and similar items used by individuals with respect to menstruation which will help address barriers to access for those in need.

People can take action to #EndPeriodPoverty by emailing their representatives and urging them to support the Menstrual Equity for All Act. Get started by visiting https://tinyurl.com/TheFlowInitiative