Lip balm is tax-free, but in 30 states across our country, tampons and pads are not. Period Equity is a national organization working to change policy for this discriminatory process. I started thinking about the structures that we tolerate and even subscribe to in this country that creates barriers for women to flourish. Women and girls should not have to choose food over tampons or pads.
I found out that the documentary “Period. End of Sentence” is now available for free through Netflix and Youtube. It is an academy award-winning short. Here is information retrieved from The Pad Project.
A Period Should End a Sentence, Not a Girl’s Education
Period. End of Sentence. aims to inspire people everywhere to think globally and recognize the impact young women can have. The film screened across the U.S. at film festivals in 2018 and premiered on Netflix in February 2019. It follows the women of Kathikhera, a village outside of New Delhi, India, as they install a machine and sell their pads throughout their district. Watch the film on Netflix! Watch the film on YouTube!
Oakwood high school students raised over $55,000 through fundraisers, bake sales, and two Kickstarter campaigns to purchase a sanitary pad machine for the village of Kathikhera outside of New Delhi, India. They partnered with director Rayka Zehtabchi and Action India, a grassroots women’s empowerment organization working in Kathikhera, to document the process in what would become Period. End of Sentence. The Pad Project team maintains a strong partnership with Action India and continues to work with them to install pad machines and spread menstrual health education in Kathikhera and villages throughout the district of Hapur.
In a rural village outside Delhi, India, women lead a quiet revolution. They fight against the deeply rooted stigma of menstruation. Period. End of Sentence.- a documentary short directed by Rayka Zehtabchi- tells their story.