"Girls tend to miss school six days a month on an average due to the inability to manage their periods at school. This eventually contributes to almost 23% girls dropping out of school."
- a report by 'Dignity for Her'
Period Poverty
in Indonesia
The term "Period Poverty" relates to the disadvantages that girls and menstruators face in remote and developing communities that have poor access to period products and education. The compounding effect of "Period Poverty" paired with cultural stigma has been shown to cause significant social, physical and mental health issues for young women.
In very poor areas some girls resort to dealing with their flow using found materials like cardboard and dried plants that are inadequate and can lead to infection. These inadequate solutions often result in accidents that then lead to stress and social shame.
When products are made available or affordable they are often from brands that have been shown to contain harmful synthetic materials that come with their own health warnings and risks.
Gender Inequality
"From my visits to Sumba, I’ve heard of girls spending their periods sitting on a dirt floor on a piece of cardboard."
- Bumi Sehat
The prevalence of period poverty in Indonesia continues to lead to discrimination against girls and adversely affects their health and education, which reinforces gender inequality.
If a girl misses out on school every time she menstruates, she will be on average 145 days behind on her education compared to a male student.
MOOVE is collaborating with Bali based nonprofit organisation Bumi Sehat (founded in 1995) via their ‘Moon Time rEvolution’ program. The goal of this program is to supply reusable alternative menstrual products to underprivileged communities of girls and women in Bali.
Built from the desire to recover from drugs and alcohol addiction, Yayasan Noken Papua is an organisation that has the same goal for local Papuan youth. Moreover, Yayasan Noken also actively spreads awareness about general reproduction health to HIV/AIDS.
MOOVE has partnered with NGO English Goes to Kampung, led by Asty Kulla, to distribute products across Sumba. Asty Kulla helps the youth by holding free english classes, to offer them more opportunities once they finish school.
