A GROUP of women in the Klang Valley has started a project to address period poverty among girls and women who are poor or live in the streets.

Called “Period Je”, the plan is to hands out sanitary products to underprivileged women and normalise conversations on the topic of menstruation among Malaysians, especially men.

“It’s a normal biological process in a female human body. 

“The taboo has always been that when a girl menstruates. It has become something that is so embarrassing that men don’t want to look at it, don’t want to talk about it and girls are even embarrassed to acknowledge that they are having their period,” said project co-founder Vicky Wong.

She said the name “Period Je”, which means “It’s just the period”, came about to show that menstruation was normal.

Wong, along with four of her colleagues, started the initiative as a passion project. The group recently rolled out their programme in the Klang Valley and is hoping to do the same nationwide.

“We are not an organisation. We are just a group of individuals who just happen to work together as good colleagues with support from our company.

“We do this on a voluntary basis and we donate our time. We’re not looking to become an NGO; it’s a passion project,” she said. 

So far the group has done several rounds of distribution in the Chow Kit area. They have partnered with Nor Akmar Kaseh who runs Pertubuhan Kebajikan Ar Riqab to distribute sanitary pads.

“She runs a feeding programme in Chow Kit targeting drug users and sex workers. We went to her and said we want to help. We want to come in and supplement them with period products.

“In Chow Kit we gave out sanitary pads and disposable panties. We have so far distributed 300 sanitary products,” Wong said.

Wong’s group has also teamed up with Segambut MP Hannah Yeoh to supply sanitary pads to the B40 community in the constituency.

“Yeoh has gotten us a list of people and underprivileged families in the B40 group to distribute period products to.

“After Segambut we will be reaching out to other MPs to expand the areas to reach out to more people,” Wong said.

Period Je also plans to collaborate with other NGOs to distribute sanitary products to those that need them.

Wong said the group hands out disposable products because the recipients often do not have access to clean water.

“So menstrual cups may not be the best solution for them.”

Long-term goals

In the long run, Period Je hopes to educate and also lobby for the cost of sanitary products to be reduced so that poorer women and girls can afford them.

“It’s a larger issue. Menstruation affects issues about access to education, healthcare and clean water. 

“These are all larger issues that are the consequences of not having sufficient ability to purchase sanitary products.

“It’s not immediate in the next two or three years, but we will roll out when there is more awareness,” said Wong.

There are also plans to  set up vending machines in schools so that girls have access to sanitary items at any time.

This can prevent girls from skipping school during their menstrual cycle due to a lack of sanitary products. 

Sustainability and fundraising

Period Je is currently being funded through donations by individuals, but Wong is aiming for corporate sponsorships for better sustainability.

“So far we have collected RM10,000 (in donations). We also managed to purchase the products for a very low price from the distributor, which are sufficient for a few more months,” said Wong.

Social media is used to put the word out about Period Je and to raise funds, and the goal is to raise RM300,000 to RM500,000 by the end of the year to buy products and also to make pitches to corporate sponsors.

Though Malaysia eliminated the pink tax from sanitary products in 2018, an average pack of 16 sanitary pads still costs RM10 and a pack of 16 tampons costs RM28. 

A recent survey found that one in four women and girls between the ages of 13 and 35 have ound it harder to manage their periods since the beginning of the pandemic.

The survey, published by WASH United, World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts and Unicef, also found that 47% of women who menstruate have found it more difficult to access sanitary items since the pandemic. Most of those affected are from poor households and communities. – April 11, 2021.