Learning more about the PERIOD.project- Fujifilm South Africa
One in four girl learners in South Africa misses school monthly because of a lack of access to menstrual hygiene products and support during their menstrual periods. Learners say menstruation is a fact, not a choice, and should be mainstreamed in conversations and schools so that it stops being a taboo subject.
As a documentary photographer from the Netherlands, I had never heard of the topic Period Poverty. When I began researching non-profit organisations in Cape Town, I discovered that there are several that distribute sanitary pads to girls. The more I researched the topic, the more I realised I wanted to create a photo book about this topic.
Research showed that about 30% of schoolgirls missed school when they were menstruating, as they could not afford the sanitary pads or have access to them. This means that a girl could effectively lose about 90 days of schooling in a year as a direct result of issues relating to menstruation.
Read the full article here.
