Empowering Girls: Compassion’s Mission for a Brighter Future

Around the world, millions of girls face barriers that prevent them from reaching their full potential.

One of these hidden challenges is period poverty — a subject not often talked about, yet one that profoundly impacts girls’ education, health, and future opportunities. For many, something as natural as a monthly period becomes a roadblock to their dreams.

Compassion is committed to breaking this cycle and empowering girls to thrive by addressing the root causes of period poverty and promoting gender equality.

96five’s Jess Drummond spoke with Sidhara Udalagama, Communications Specialist with Compassion Australia, who says period poverty is a largely unknown subject, but affects many girls and women around the world.

“Period poverty is when young girls and women don’t have access to the sanitary products, education, or the sanitation and hygiene facilities they need to manage their periods with safety and dignity,” Sidhara said.

“This can range from not being able to afford sanitary pads or tampons, not having anywhere to wash or change, or even facing social stigma that makes it really hard to talk about.”

Sidhara says it’s estimated that at least 500 million women and girls across the globe lack access to adequate sanitation facilities for managing their periods. This period poverty goes on to impact their education and future prospects.

“When a girl [facing period poverty] has her period, she doesn’t have access to a safe toilet so she can’t go to school because she doesn’t know how she’s going to manage that period, so she ends up missing school. With every missed lesson, she falls further and further behind and oftentimes it actually leads to girls dropping out of school altogether.”

Compassion is working with thousands of local partners in more than 25 countries to increase access to education for girls, to teach families about child safety, and to promote gender equality. On a tangible front, the Brighter Future Campaign around International Women’s Day focuses on building toilet blocks in rural Sri Lanka.

Sidhara says supporting the appeal makes a real impact on the lives of many.

“That practical help actually makes such a huge difference and impacts not just [the girls’] lives, but also the lives of their families and entire community.”

You can learn more and donate to the appeal via the website.

Listen to the full interview with Sidhara in the player above.

Photos supplied by Compassion and used with permission, background image by Canva Pro.