“The Zubin Foundation found that 16% of girls in Hong Kong have missed school or work because they could not afford sanitary products.
It makes such a big difference to the lives of marginalized ethnic minority girls to be able to receive free sanitary products.
We are so pleased to be working with LUÜNA to support period poverty in Hong Kong.”
Shalini Mahtani, Founder & Chief Executive Officer
It’s time for us to face a serious matter we’ve been sweeping under our rug, Period Poverty is a global issue affecting women and girls, and it’s happening here in our home, Hong Kong, too.
Period poverty refers to ‘inadequate access to menstrual hygiene tools and education, including but not limited to sanitary products, washing facilities, and waste management’.
Let’s narrow the scope down to the current situation in Hong Kong.
The ethnic minority community is one of the poorest in Hong Kong, with one in four living in poverty. The situation worsened over the last year through Covid-19, causing major job loss in the community. Monthly menstruation is far from luxury but unfortunately this is what it has become for many girls and women in our city.
The Zubin Foundation is devoted to improving the lives of Hong Kong’s marginalised ethnic minorities by providing opportunities and reducing suffering. Through their ‘Red Box Project’ they aim to lessen these communities’ family burden through the donation of period care, specifically 4-months worth of product to each girl who is part of their program. Luuna Naturals, Hong Kong based period care company have supported The Zubin Foundation with this initiative. In May 2021, together they delivered the first batch of Red Boxes to 123 girls in need.
From a survey that the Zubin Foundation conducted, it was found that over 50% of these respondents’ family members had lost their jobs due to the pandemic, and over 45% of the respondents are still struggling to continue their education due to financial issues.
It’s very important to acknowledge the fact that healthy period care products are essential to all women who menstruate, and there are women and girls in need that have no access to such items, which might cause them to resolve to using unsanitary replacements that are detrimental to their health.
Whilst removing stigma around periods as well as educating and empowering women is imperative to both The Zubin Foundation and Luuna Naturals, so is providing simple access to products that we believe should be freely available, particularly to those in need.
If you would like to contribute to this project, please visit https://www.zubinfoundation.org/redbox for more donation information. And remember, every purchase made with Luuna Naturals also helps fund donating period care products to women with periods in need.
