Blog

Irise named as one of the most effective organisations fighting to end period poverty in the world.

Irise is thrilled to be named as one of the most effective menstrual health organisations in the world in a new report released today.

Kulczyk Foundation, a Polish private family foundation, and Founders Pledge, a community of entrepreneurs committed to finding and funding solutions to global challenges, have launched a new report on period poverty. A bloody problem: period poverty, why we need to end it and how to do it – which reviews the current state of funding and solutions to ending period poverty – finds that there is no unified approach to data collection, fundraising or implementation of period poverty programmes.

Period poverty has been an invisible issue for years, despite an estimated 1.9 billion girls and women currently menstruating. Menstruation stigmatised is often and invisible, contributing to millions of girls and women worldwide not having what they need to manage their menstrual hygiene, ultimately missing out on education, job opportunities and life quality.

The report reveals the scale and burden of the problem globally, the harms caused by a lack of access to menstrual products, and the effectiveness of activities to tackle period poverty.

The report recommends greater focus on building a strong evidence base, and investment into eight organisations, including Irise, currently committed to delivering effective interventions. It identifies 80 organisations addressing period poverty, with eight organisations demonstrating the most cost-effective practice.

Eight organisations which are listed as the most cost-effective when it comes to ending period poverty, and which stood out across factors such as a solid theory of change, high quality evidence generation, and organisational strength are:

● Irise International, UK and Uganda based

● Days for Girls, headquartered in the US with offices in Uganda, Nepal, Ghana, and
Guatemala

● Inua Dada Foundation, headquartered and operating in Kenya

● NFCC, headquartered and operating in Nepal

● Population Services International, headquartered in the United States, Europe, and
Kenya

● Sesame Workshop’s Girl Talk program in Zimbabwe

● Simavi, headquartered in the Netherlands with operations across Africa and Asia

● WoMena, headquartered in Denmark and Uganda

Our CEO said;

“Periods matter because the people who experience them matter. The chronic underinvestment and lack of attention to menstrual health is symptomatic of the global power imbalance that treats girls and young women as second class citizens. This report is a timely and critical step towards a world where no one is held back by being born female. The Kulczyk Foundation have not only established that solving period poverty is worthy of significant investment but have signposted funders towards where their investment can achieve the most impact. We are thrilled that the Irise community’s dogged pursuit of meaningful and impactful solutions to period poverty and shame is being recognised- we’re particularly proud of the advocacy of our young leaders who continue to fight tirelessly for progress on this overlooked barrier to female empowerment.”