Ending Period Poverty: How The Pollination Project Empowers Grassroots Solutions

Every year Menstrual Hygiene Management Day (May 28) calls global attention to a basic yet often overlooked human right: safe, dignified, and informed menstrual care. For millions of women and girls, period poverty – driven by financial hardship, social taboos, and lack of education – continues to disrupt education, endanger health, and limit potential.

At The Pollination Project, we believe that dignity shouldn’t come with a price tag. That’s why we’ve supported hundreds of grassroots changemakers working to eliminate period poverty with innovative, community-driven solutions. These leaders are dismantling stigma, creating jobs, fostering education, and building movements.

From the deserts of Kenya to the classrooms of The Gambia, and from rural Nepal to communities across Zambia, TPP grantees are rewriting the global story on menstruation. Here are four of the many extraordinary initiatives leading the way:

In the arid, underserved regions of northern Kenya, Qabale Duba has emerged as a powerful advocate for girls’ education and health. She is the founder of the Qabale Duba Foundation, a community-based organization focused on improving the lives of pastoralist girls and women.

Her initiative, the Pads and Panties (PAPA) Project, is dedicated to addressing one of the biggest barriers girls in Marsabit County face: the inability to afford basic menstrual hygiene products. Through this project, the Foundation provides reusable sanitary pads and undergarments, helping to drastically reduce school absenteeism caused by menstruation.

“Pads are as important to school girls as pens,” Qabale says. “Access to pads empowers girls, fuels their dreams, and contributes to development.”

By delivering both menstrual products and educational workshops, the project enhances girls’ dignity, boosts their self-esteem, and allows them to stay in school consistently. So far, Qabale has helped more than 4,000 girls remain in school, transforming both individual futures and community outlooks.

In Nepal, where menstruation is cloaked in silence, Anne Kukuczka founded PUTALI to promote menstrual dignity and education. Through community workshops, the distribution of menstrual cups and hygiene kits, and engaging educational comics, Anne is demystifying menstruation for girls and women in rural areas.

“Each woman deserves to make informed choices about her body,” Anne says. “That freedom unleashes humanity’s greater potential.”

PUTALI Nepal’s community-centered model has reached extraordinary milestones:

• 1,400+ menstrual cups distributed;

• 14,000+ individuals educated on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR);

• 1,900+ people benefited from training programs;

• 2,100+ young adults reached;

• 1,000+ girls and women supported through menstrual health programs;

• 110+ institutions engaged through outreach and collaboration.

With creative educational materials like translated comics on puberty and menstruation, and inclusive community workshops, PUTALI Nepal is helping shift the cultural conversation around menstruation toward one of confidence, knowledge, and equality.

For Fatoumatta Kassama, a nurse and social entrepreneur, the fight against period poverty is deeply personal. Remembering her own school years filled with shame and infections due to lack of menstrual products, she founded Girls’ Pride, a hybrid organization transforming menstrual health education and opportunity across The Gambia.

Girls’ Pride combines reusable pad distribution, menstrual health training, sexual and reproductive education, and vocational training. So far, they have:

• Trained 35 women and girls in reusable pad production;

• Educated 26 teachers who, in turn, taught students to sew reusable pads as part of their Home Economics curriculum;

• Trained 623 adolescent girls on menstrual hygiene management;

• Educated 935 school boys on period shaming;

• And empowered 160 teachers on menstrual health, period stigma, and gender-based violence.

“To eradicate the taboo around menstruation, men and boys must be included in our programs,” Fatoumatta explains.

Girls’ Pride is catalyzing a more equitable, informed, and compassionate society.

In Zambia, where gender inequality continues to restrict opportunities for young women, Dr. Natasha Salifyanji Kaoma is reshaping the narrative around menstrual health and youth empowerment. As a medical doctor and co-founder of Copper Rose Zambia, Natasha has led one of the country’s most expansive grassroots movements for menstrual equity.

“What motivates me is the fact that every life is important,” she says. “If we can put a smile on a girl’s face or change her mindset and make her feel loved and appreciated, then that in itself is enough to change the world.”

Starting with a mentorship program at her university, Copper Rose evolved into a national initiative that has:

• Impacted over 270K individuals;

• Distributed more than 59K IEC materials across Zambia;

• Mobilized over 1300 volunteers committed to improving adolescent well-being.

Natasha’s work ensures that girls are not only able to manage their periods safely but also see themselves as powerful agents of change in their communities.

These inspiring leaders, like hundreds more supported by The Pollination Project, are united by a single belief: menstruation should never hold anyone back. Their work ensures that dignity, opportunity, and education are not sacrificed to stigma or scarcity.

On May 28 celebrate with us by learning more about these initiatives and how you can support a world where every person who menstruates is seen, supported, and empowered.

Join The Pollination Project in seeding a global movement of grassroots change. When we invest in passionate local leaders, small acts of generosity blossom into lasting impact. Every dollar you give takes root in communities, growing into sustainable solutions that touch countless lives.