Women’s Health Initiative

The Cause

Menstrual health is often a taboo topic but it impacts nearly all women. In the Northwest Territories, we have heard how women are not able to afford the basic necessities each month to deal with their periods.

After reading this article: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/menstrual-pads-arctic-1.5448420, I was amazed at how expensive it is to purchase feminine hygiene products and how few people are aware of alternative options such as the Diva Cup to deal with menstruation. I was even more shocked when I attended remote communities in the Beaufort Delta and found a lack of availability of a variety of hygiene products. The cost of these items was also prohibitive.

We are proposing to send as many packages of feminine hygiene products as possible and to educate young girls and women on feminine hygiene. We are also proposing send other hygiene products such as toothpaste, shower supplies, etc.

Last year, we were fortunate enough to receive funding through the Field Law Community Fund Program and ship feminine hygiene products to the remote community of Fort Good Hope in the NWT. We sent items to both the school and community health coordinator. The response was one of gratitude.

We are hoping to do that again this year and provide items to the community of Paulatuk, where there is only one, small store that sells hygiene products at prohibitive costs. I found this community to be one of the most expensive communities in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region.

Who Will it Benefit?

This initiative will benefit girls and women in the NWT.