mh2
Did you know that 1 in 4 teens have actually missed school due to lack of access to menstrual products?
Lack of affordability and accessibility also causes many young women to use only one tampon per day or one pad for multiple days. When proper products are not available or affordable, women are often forced to use things like socks, for instance, or folded-up paper towels. One study showed that 79% of all women have had to crudely “MacGyver” some sort of panty protection at some point or another. The lack of proper menstrual hygiene can lead to very serious health risks such as Toxic Shock Syndrome (a life-threatening illness), urinary tract infections, and even an elevated risk of cervical cancer. We don’t believe that affordability and accessibility should be a roadblock to the health and wellness of our kids
We believe that…
Access to menstrual products is a right.
Being able to focus on your schoolwork, participate in class and school activities, and interact with your friends and peers without fear of humiliation or embarrassment is a right.
And not having to miss school because you can’t afford basic necessities is a right, not a privilege.
Of all the things that teenage girls have to worry about, why is this still one of them? So, we decided to do something about it.
In 2021, we launched the Menstrual Health & Hygiene Initiative. Or, for all the guys out there… the mh² initiative. We put a tampon and pad dispenser in every girl’s bathroom and locker room at all LTISD middle school campuses. And we aren’t talking about those coin-operated ones you see in questionable gas station bathrooms; we’re talking free and immediate access to tampons and pads at all LTISD middle schools so that when they need them… they’re 30 seconds away in the nearest bathroom. Through generous donations like yours, we were able to provide all the dispensers and products for the program as well as back-stock for the first 2 years until it became fully integrated and managed by the district back in 2023.
We partnered with Aunt Flow to fulfill our product needs. Aunt Flow is a woman-owned company that started because of a similar situation I listed above. Aunt Flow products are made of 100% organic cotton and nothing else. Unlike some of the other leading products on the market, their products are not bleached with chlorine, and they contain no synthetics, dyes, perfumes, or other chemicals. Just 100% organic cotton. And they are FDA-approved and degradable.