By Ashley Mountcastle '27
Health adversity. Period poverty. Stigmatization. This is the reality for millions of women around the world who lack the proper materials and education during their menstrual cycles.
It is a reality that Riya Patel ’24, a public health studies major, is working alongside other Roanoke College students to address by reviving the campus edition of Days for Girls.
“It is especially important that people who menstruate should have access to period products because it is just a way of life,” Patel said. “It is not like they chose to have their period or not. It is important that women should have an adequate means to take care of themselves”
Days for Girls is an international program that creates reusable menstrual hygiene kits that include a protective shield, absorbent liners, carry bag, underwear and other items that are washable. Women across the world are experiencing period poverty, amplified by the pink tax, that creates a barrier when it comes to accessing period products. Days for Girls works to break down that barrier and provide access and knowledge to women across the globe.
At Roanoke, the program is being given new life by Patel and other students who are meeting weekly to learn how to make the kits. Patel first learned of the global nonprofit from Associate Professor Meeta Mehrotra. There had been a Days for Girls initiative on campus once before, pre-pandemic, but it faded amid the disruptions of the lockdown.
After hearing about the group’s work and its impact on women across the world, Patel resolved to bring it back, working with Mehrota, Associate Professor Shannon Anderson and Assistant Professor Carrie Murawski, who has experience organizing local projects to end period poverty.
Patel reflected on the circumstances faced by some women in India, where she has family and friends, and where she said many women must resort to using rags because of lack of access to menstrual products. That is just one example of the challenges that women face across the world, she added.
The revived campus initiative, which started this semester, is currently training volunteers in the sewing skills needed to make the kit supplies along with making some of the kit parts. Eventually, it will grow to create whole kits.
The project provides opportunities for students to help care for people of all ages, races and ethnicities around the world who are at risk because of a lack of resources. For Patel, the work combines her passion for service with her desire to improve people’s access to health care.
Patel, who’s double majoring in biochemistry, plans to pursue a career in dentistry after graduation. Days for Girls has become a meaningful project for her because it helps people lead healthier lives.
“This is a volunteer project that revolves around making sure people can take care of themselves during their period in a healthy manner, while sharing adequate knowledge about proper health care,” she said.
Days for Girls volunteer sessions were held on campus every Saturday morning during spring semester. The weekly volunteer opportunities will return for fall semester.
