Let’s talk about period poverty. According to the World Bank, “an estimated 500 million [people] lack access to menstrual products and adequate facilities for menstrual hygiene management.” With this being a pressing issue across the world today, four Tenafly High School AP Seminar students decided to evoke change themselves.
During their sophomore year, Grace Kim, Lucy Kim, Ellie Wodeslavsky, and Kate Situ were assigned a research project in AP Seminar, the team multimedia presentation (TMP). The team would have to spend a few months working on the TMP, so they sought to choose a topic they related to and were passionate about. “We came across the topic of menstruation, as we were all women going through the same struggles,” Grace Kim said. The TMP has a solution criteria, and the group came up with two solutions: advocating/taking real action (which the team found crucial as they were uninformed about period poverty until their research) and supplying free menstrual products for women (as implemented in Scotland). Since supplying free menstrual products on such an immense scale was not something the group could tackle right away, they combined the two solutions and decided to create a project where they could help low-income women in New Jersey and New York communities. And so, the period-poverty-tackling nonprofit, For Her Flow, was born.
“We became super invested in solving or making a dent in period poverty,” Wodeslavsky shared. Due to their strong interest, the group members decided to hold a menstrual product drive in 2023, donating 800 products to the Community Food Bank of New Jersey.
“Knowing that we were able to provide products to those who could not obtain them motivated us to want to hold more drives and collect donations,” Situ said. The team is currently fundraising through GoFundMe and raising money through bracelet sales from Mogufiy, a small business that sells handmade accessories. For Her Flow additionally offers personalized care packages filled with menstruation products for underprivileged women. Donations raised by the organization go towards funding these care packages.
“Our team is organized with rigorous and passionate women who want to make this a big project beyond THS,” Grace Kim shared. “By the end of 2024, we aim to donate 500 of our care boxes, reach ten communities, and increase our members.” Some upcoming ideas they have are fundraising with hoodies, movies, and outdoor events. If the team reaches approximately $570, they would be able to help over one hundred and twenty women per month.
The co-founders of For Her Flow urge others to get involved. “There is a Google form on our website for those willing to be a member,” Grace Kim said. “Being a member would mean helping prepare our care packages, organizing fundraisers, writing blogs for our website about period poverty, and more,” she added. Grace Kim added that she has mutuals from other districts willing to implement For Her Flow at their schools, which would increase funding and education on period poverty. “We are also looking to create a club at THS, but sadly it did not get passed because we have a women’s empowerment club. It made me upset because I believed that having a club that gears specifically towards period poverty is crucial. However, our group decided that we are not giving up and this is just the first step towards our goals.”
“By doing this project, we hope we can break the stigma around the topic of menstruation,” Grace Kim said. This women-operated organization is proof that inspiration and change can come from anywhere—even a school project.
If you want to donate or find out more information on For Her Flow, you can visit their website,: https://sites.google.com/view/for-her-flow/home?authuser=0, and you can reach them at [email protected] or on their Instagram page, @forherflow.
