We are delighted to work with Food Banks Canada as an educational and awareness partner for the Menstrual Equity Fund Pilot Project by Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE) (1, 2). This pilot project is an innovative national initiative aimed at combating period poverty and increasing access to menstrual education across Canada from November 2023 to March 2024. WAGE has allocated $22.9 million to test approaches for providing free access to menstrual products for communities at risk of experiencing menstrual poverty in Canada, as well as to enhance education on menstrual health and raise awareness about period poverty (3).
This budget is divided into two main categories: the purchase and distribution of menstrual products (approximately $19.3 million) and the expansion of education and awareness activities (approximately $2.5 million). The menstrual products are purchased by Food Banks Canada from Canadian partners, with the goal of distributing these products across Canada to assist over 570,000 low-income individuals each month (4). Additionally, Food Banks Canada distributes menstrual products for free to certain organizations nationwide to test accessibility. The actions implemented are therefore numerous (5).
Monthly Dignity has been selected as one of six organizations across Canada to participate in the second component, the education and awareness segment (6). Each organization involved in the project has unique expertise tailored to the needs of the populations it serves and its intervention territory. Since December 2023, Monthly Dignity has been offering free workshops on menstruation to a diverse audience in Montreal, Quebec, and even in French-speaking communities in other provinces. Based on the needs of the hosting organizations, we have refined our workshop offerings to cover the basics of menstruation and the menstrual cycle, the variety of menstrual products available and how to use them safely, menopause and the changes associated with this transition, as well as menstrual poverty and its impacts. Today, we have our list of free workshops, consisting of six themes that address the needs and expectations of our context (7).
The pilot project will give us the opportunity to engage in stimulating and eclectic environments, with individuals who are eager to learn more. We offer workshops in both French and English at women’s centers, shelters, newcomer centers, eco-districts, youth houses, schools, and community centers with frontline workers, as well as more throughout the greater Montreal area. We also provide virtual alternatives outside of Montreal.
In the workshops, we prioritize a discussion-based approach, focusing on questions and exchanges to create safe spaces where everyone feels comfortable asking questions, commenting, and reacting. It is essential for us to have conversations to genuinely address period poverty and how it manifests in individuals, respond to participants’ inquiries, and destigmatize myths surrounding menstruation.
With this funding, we will be able to establish essential additional resources such as a glossary with inclusive terms to address the issue of period poverty, a comparison chart of reusable menstrual products (so that each person can find the product that suits them), and finally, we will have a page with educational articles on our website, which will be regularly updated with articles related to menstruation. Stay tuned for our content on the website as well as on social media.
Given the enthusiasm surrounding our educational content, we expect to conduct around a hundred workshops and reach thousands of individuals through this funding, with the primary goal of increasing knowledge about menstrual health and raising awareness of period poverty. It is also important to recognize that the individuals we address are change agents themselves: they receive the content and can then share it within their social circles, thereby raising awareness among others.
Change occurs on all levels, and we are proud to be a part of it!
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