Perles Rares d'Afrique Foundation

The feminist movement has been far from unified; strife and division often arose as activists faced the difficulties of meeting the diverse needs and priorities of the women and those who identify as female.

Enormous changes have swept through the entire world altering the lives of women at all levels of society thanks to the bravery and sacrifices of those before us.

During early start of feminism, the changing nature of women's lives helped create the circumstances that allowed them to begin to act politically, on their own behalf and for others. Female activists were organizing protests in an attempt to improve their work environment and wages. Middle-class women's role in the home, on the other hand, led them to develop a sense of themselves as members of a cohesive group; this consciousness would later translate, for some, into the idea that they could collectively demand rights. Concern about the urban poor, moreover, allowed middle-class women to engage in charity work and temperance campaigns, in which they saw themselves as working toward the "moral uplift" of society in the same way that they cared for the moral wellbeing of their families at home. While coded as domestic and benevolent, these campaigns gave women a public voice and significant social power.

This unification of our voices as activists speaking loud and clear on the diverse challenges our world faces is more than needed especially in these times.

The burning passion behind MHDay is to a world in which every menstruating person is empowered to manage menstruation safely, hygienically, with confidence and without shame:

– everyone can access and afford the menstrual product of their choice

– period stigma is history

– eveyone (all sexes)have basic information about menstruation

– everyone can access period-friendly water, sanitation & hygiene facilities everywhere.

Poor menstrual hygiene caused by a lack of education on the issue, persisting taboos and stigma, limited access to hygienic menstrual products and poor sanitation infrastructure undermines the educational opportunities, health and overall social status of women and girls around the world. As a result, millions of women and girls are kept from reaching their full potential.

Menstrual Hygiene Day (MH Day) brings together the voices and actions of non-profits, government agencies, individuals, the private sector and the media to promote good menstrual health and hygiene (MHH) for all women and girls. More specifically, MH Day:

breaks the silence, raises awareness and changes negative social norms around MHH, and
engages decision-makers to increase the political priority and catalyse action for MHH at global, national and local levels.