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Fighting period poverty

By Caroline Vestal, age 17 | February 27, 2024

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FORWARD FLOW Bellaire senior Caroline Vestal used her Girl Scout Gold Award project to advocate for affordable, accessible menstrual products, gather period products for women in need, and combat the stigma around the topic of menstruation.

Menstrual equity. A topic that encompasses a myriad of issues but means promoting a positive view of menstruation and equal access to menstrual education and products. For my Gold Award, my goals were to intertwine addressing the negative stigma around periods with the debilitating issue of period poverty, while also being able to connect with others through education. My interest was initially sparked during my sophomore year when I participated in my school’s Feminist Club period product packing drive. This inspired me to engage more in these topics through other club meetings and social media, and eventually I became an officer of our PERIOD. club chapter. I realized my Gold Award would be the perfect outlet to continue making changes outside of school.

For the first part of my project, I collaborated with Star of Hope to organize a period product drive at a National Charity League meeting where we packed care bags for residents. Additionally, at Houston’s Presbyterian Women’s Conference, I led a forum where I taught about period poverty through a PowerPoint and the short film, Netflix’s Period. End of Sentence. (10 out of 10 recommend). I also instructed and worked with women to assemble and sew reusable pads. I was thrilled to donate them to a women’s center in Uganda through the Girls for Girls organization with Lighting the Path, who graciously provided the template.

Lastly, an extra special part for me was inspiring younger kids by meeting with the nurse at Kolter Elementary, creating encouraging, graphic cards with handwritten messages and FAQs, and handing them out after “the talk." I recall fifth grade being the time when my perception of period stigma formed, so I am grateful for this opportunity.

I am hopeful that as projects like this one enlighten more people, it is only a matter of time before menstruators everywhere have access to the products they need to empower their active participation in life.

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