mindup.slblood@gmail.com
With all proceeds to benefit women and girls with the necessary feminine sanitary products they deserve, come May 28, World Menstrual Hygiene Day from 2-6 pm at the Anchorage waterfront, located in Chaguaramas at the northwest peninsula of Trinidad, Helping Her Foundation (HHF) will host its third annual tea party and fashion show fundraiser.
Carded to address the event will be speakers from the T&T Red Cross Society and the Feminitt’s Safe Cycle project.
Among the cast of entertainers will be Nigel Rojas. The fashion show’s designer is KdG, and specially-acknowledged vendors will be on site.
Admission for adults: $200 and children under 12: $100.
Helping Her Foundation is a local NGO which was founded in 2015 by Samantha Duncan when she took to social media and started raising awareness of period poverty.
Three years later, the concept of Helping Her was solidified and the foundation added four more young women—Celeste Simpson, Sara Ilkhtchoui, Alexis Alonzo and Shannon McKenzie.
To ensure successful outcomes, aiding the cause is support from Sophia House for Girls’, St Dominic’s Children’s Home, Swaha Vishok Bhavan Children’s Home, St Mary’s Children’s Home, Raffa House for Girls, Christ Child Convalescent Home, and The Lady Hochoy Home in Gasparillo.
HHF said they are always seeking to improve and expand their reach within T&T as well as throughout the region with the aim to sustainably provide the products to as many recipients as possible while hopefully minimising the stigma and sense of shame attached to menstruation.
HHF said: “Many things are an inconvenience; your period shouldn’t be one of them. Having your period (monthly cycle) isn’t a choice, all women should have access to these products regardless of their financial status.”
They revealed statistics of a recent study conducted by Always: “Since the COVID-19 pandemic, over one in three young females feel less confident because they’ve missed after-school activities, and nearly one out of three parents are worried about their ongoing inability to afford period products – an issue known as period poverty.”
HHF said when girls don’t have access to period products, not only do they not feel protected, but it also puts their confidence, dignity and education at risk. They’re less likely to be able to participate in their education and other activities, and if they are, they’re likely to feel distracted and unable to focus on reaching their full potential.
“Despite the ongoing challenges, Always wants to show girls that they’re always supported and will help end period poverty, so that menstrual cycles do not hold young people back. Always has championed girls’ confidence for 35-plus years and has donated more than 50 million sanitary napkins since they started their #EndPeriodPoverty campaign, and the Helping Her Foundation has been a part of the campaign since 2019.”
This fundraiser seeks to purchase a Mobile Pad (sanitary napkin) Bank which “will aid in boosting the level of efficiency in which HHF spreads awareness of their services, enable greater reach to more recipients nationwide, and bring ease to recipients’ access to products (when needed).
