Date: August 26th, 2019
Back to School for Her Too is kicking off on September 1st! Every day in September, we're teaming up with a new activist to raise awareness about period poverty and improve periods around the world. From kickboxers to macrame artists, chefs, and non-profit organizations, people from different backgrounds will come together in the name of something they all have in common—a period, and the belief that everyone with one should have access to quality period care. Each day of September 2019, Saalt will feature a new activist @saaltco on Instagram who will host a discussion and a giveaway for a Saalt Duo Pack. (Yup, that means you'll have 30 chances to snag one!)
And it gets better. As part of our impact mission, Saalt will also fund 30 annual scholarships to schoolgirls in Nepal and Kenya and donate 30 cups per day for a classroom of girls. Friends, we LIVE. FOR. THIS. In fact, our team has been looking forward to these 30-days-of-doing-good all year! Saalt Squad, we'd love if you'd join us with your strong voices, astute heads, and big hearts to spread the word. And we can't thank you enough for the overwhelming support you've given our team so far. Since our launch in February of last year, we've donated over 3500 menstrual cups through domestic and international partners in the US, El Salvador, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Tanzania, Cameroon, Kenya, Togo, Nigeria, Uganda, Sudan, Liberia, Rwanda, Nepal, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Italy, Great Britain, and Australia. We love our growing number of nations and communities that are embracing the impact that each Saalt Cup can have. #happydance
How can you help?
With your voice
Join our daily Instagram conversations to break down period stigmas. If a particular conversation on @saaltco or on the Instagram of our activist strikes your fancy, open up your own conversation with your friends or loved ones and #passthesaalt! Everyone is welcome to learn more and help find new ways to improve.
With your time
There are so many ways to use your time for good. Find a great local organization and use your time where it counts the most. Check out your local Period.org chapter and attend a period packing party, or find a different organization that speaks to you!
With your dollar
If you are considering a direct donation to an organization that is breaking period barriers, check out www.saaltco.com/impact for a list of organizations that we've worked with and are happy to recommend. If you have thoughts or suggestions, send us a message to saaltgive@saalt.com. We are always open to new perspectives. Let's work together toward the menstrual cup revolution!
Want to join the conversation? Here are some powerful stats to share:
How Period Poverty Affects Girls' Education
In the US, September means back to school for about 28 million elementary and secondary school girls, the majority of whom will graduate from high school and go on to attend college or university. But in under-funded nations, lack of good menstrual hygiene-known as "period poverty"-has 300 million women and girls using unhygienic methods like scraps of clothing, mattress padding, paper torn from school books, or even soil and ash to manage their periods. Girls will often miss 20% of the school year because of their period, and many will eventually drop out.
- 86% of girls in Kenya miss school because of their period.
- 46% of girls in Nepal reported missing school due to menstruation.
- In rural India, only 1 in 100 girls reaches the 12th grade.
- In Uganda, only 22% of girls are enrolled in secondary schools compared with 91% in primary schools.
Period poverty isn't just a problem internationally. In the US, period care might be available, but not everyone can afford it. In low-income and homeless populations, many people resort to unhygienic methods like crumpled newspapers and paper bags that can lead to infections and even greater health problems. With the help of our partner organizations, we hope to help everyone have a dignifying period.
Reusable Period Care Helping Change the Status Quo
When girls receive better period care, attendance rates increase as girls feel more confident to safely and effectively manage their periods at school. Saalt donates menstrual cups both domestically and internationally and invites others to join the conversation and give access to period care for all. By spreading positive messages about the sustainable and affordable options menstruators have to embrace their periods, we at Saalt hope to provide a path to period bliss for everyone.
- In Uganda, period care delivered over two years increased school attendance by 17%.
- In Ghana, 97% of girls reported feeling more confident after receiving better period care, and absence rates dropped by 50%.
And the results extend far beyond just attendance rates.
- One additional year in school can increase a girl's lifetime earnings by as much as 25%.
- For every 10%more girls that attend school, that country's GDP has an average increase of .03%.
- Mothers with an education have twice the chance of sending their own children to school, perpetuating a cycle of education throughout generations.
These stats are not just numbers. They are the driving force that inspires us to continue working toward our goals, because they are not far-fetched. We can do this!
This impact campaign is taking place during September 2019. If you want to learn more about Saalt's current impact initiatives, visit our Impact page.
