Removing Barriers to Success from Young Women
Female students from low income households often quietly go about life without things that others take for granted; enough food, clothing or other basic needs. One need that few people are comfortable talking about is the need for menstrual health care products. When adequate resources are not available, girls skip school. They also leave early. They get embarrassed by trips to the school nurse for emergencies. They don’t participate in sports and any other activities that might put them in a position to potentially be embarrassed. Their grades suffer, their attitude towards school suffers, their attendance suffers and their sense of self-worth does too.
Our club designed a web-based application that looks like a retail store order form; one in which a student and/or her parent can order Always and Tampax brand products, up to 25 items per month, without cost. They are then delivered to the school nurse’s office by our club on the first day of every month in an opaque bag with a label with only an order number on it – one that the student received when she placed the order. The student’s identity, privacy and choices are anonymous and protected.
How did it work?
We piloted the program at Middletown High School over the first 6 months of 2026. With about 1800 products delivered by June 30th, school nurses reported an over 50% decrease in the number of students needing mitigation of an emergency menstrual health concern. While the data on reasons for absenteeism has not been collected by gender, the administration’s opinion is that participating students are in fact absent much less.
This is a surprisingly efficient program. We buy products in bulk on Amazon or from wholesalers. Once per month, we pull a report of all orders, print labels for bags, and fill them. Including delivering to the high school, it takes two people less than five hours per month.
The cost of product per student per year? Under $60.
Wouldn’t it be great if Lions were to wipe out Period Poverty as it is commonly known, providing school students a sustainable resource and clearing away one hurtle that 1/2 of our population has to manage? We think so.
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