Featured Post, Africa, Kenya, South Sudan, Uganda

Menstrual Health is Not a Luxury. Period. Take Action for Refugee Girls and Women Facing Period Poverty

May 1, 2026

May is Menstrual Health Awareness Month, so we’re directing all Peace Winds Project of the Month Club donations to help girls and women facing period poverty this month. 

Despite being a natural and important part of life, for millions of girls and women living in refugee camps, menstruation remains a source of fear and shame–as well as a too-often unmet area of need. Your donations will support Peace Winds’ comprehensive programming that combines access to supplies with education that empowers girls and reduces harmful stigmas.

The six refugee camps where Peace Winds works in Kenya, Uganda, and South Sudan are home to more than 1.2 million refugees–people who have sought safety and basic human rights after being forced to flee their homes in neighboring countries. But for many women and girls, safe, reliable access to menstrual health support remains out of reach.

Pads, tampons, and other supplies are limited in the camps. Without them, girls are often forced to improvise with unsafe materials or go without altogether. There is also limited education on menstruation, so many girls experience their first period without understanding what is happening to their bodies or how to manage it. Often, those who can access pads or other sanitary products have never been taught how to use them.

The effects go beyond just physical health. Harmful stereotypes and stigmas about menstruation persist in the camps, and the fear of accidents and teasing keeps many girls and women away from school and work. This fuels both depression–affecting mental health–and school dropouts–jeopardizing girls’ educations and futures. 

Funding for menstrual health support has historically been unstable, but cuts to international aid over the past year are making an already fragile situation worse. Menstrual health programs, often seen as secondary, have been dramatically reduced, leaving even fewer resources available for those who need them most. And Peace Winds is seeing higher rates of other issues for girls and women in the camps, like teen pregnancy and sexual and gender-based violence. 

We’re working to change this, and we need your help to make a difference. Your donations will fund Peace Winds’ comprehensive menstrual health and hygiene work in these six camps. 

Men learn about pads (left) and girls receive reusable pads during a lesson (right)

Contributions will help us provide “dignity kits” to girls and women. These include disposable and reusable pads as well as essential items that many refugees lack, such as undergarments, soap, and a cleaning bucket.

While providing pads is a critical first step, it is only part of the solution. Education is equally important. Through community-led sessions, girls learn what menstruation is, how to use menstrual products, and how to care for their bodies. These sessions also address broader gender and reproductive health topics, empowering girls with knowledge that can shape their futures.

Lasting change helps shift mindsets, too, so Peace Winds helps communities “break the silence” about periods. By engaging both girls and boys in open conversations about menstruation, harmful myths and taboos can be challenged. When boys understand menstruation, they are less likely to stigmatize it and more likely to become allies. When communities talk openly, girls feel less alone.