The Family Planning Association of Sri Lanka (FPASL), in collaboration with the Embassy of France in Sri Lanka and the Maldives, hosted a successful public event titled ‘Period Proud’ at the Independence Arcade on 11 November, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. The event was focused on raising awareness about period poverty, a multifaceted issue that affects millions of menstruaters across the world.

The event drew a large crowd of people of all ages, who came to learn more about period poverty and how to help address it. There were stalls from organisations that are working on menstruation and period poverty, as well as a variety of creative performances, including a puppet show, Bharathanaatyam, drama, and playback theatre. The performances were all well-received and helped to convey the importance of the issue in a creative and engaging way.

The event featured 18 stalls, 13 from FPASL’s partner organisations for the CAAPP project, vendors who promote sustainable period products as well as organisations that work around menstrual health and related topics. These included The Arka Initiative & Tea Leaf Trust, Humanitarian Development Organisation, Foundation for Innovative Social Development, Nature Foundation, Sarvodaya Women’s Movement, Save a Life, Human Development Organisation, Abhimana Community Development Association, Rural Economic Community Development Organisation, Jaffna Social Action Centre, Deva Sarana Development Centre & The Grassrooted Trust, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Youth Advocacy Network Sri Lanka & Hashtag Generation, Selyn, Momiji Natural, Happy Bleeding & Endometriosis Support and Awareness Foundation, Chrysalis and The Family Planning Association of Sri Lanka.

Addressing the event, the Ambassador of France to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, Jean Francois Pactet underscored the importance of addressing the issue of period poverty as it is an issue faced by menstruators globally. He highlighted that period poverty has big consequences: insufficient access to menstrual hygiene prevents equal access to health, education and employment for girls and women. France, as a country committed to gender equality, identifies this as an important issue to focus on.

Following the speech of the Ambassador, Olivia Bellemere, Cultural and Cooperation Counsellor of the Embassy of France and the Maldives and Sonali Gunasekera, Director Advocacy at FPASL, welcomed the gathering and provided a background about the initiative and the day’s programme.

The event started with a panel discussion titled ‘Navigating Menstrual Health in Sri Lanka’. The panel included Dr. Asanthi Fernando Balapitiya – Consultant Community Physician and Head of Health Communication and Life Skills Unit at the Health Promotion Bureau, Ministry of Health Sri Lanka, Sarah Soysa – National Programme Analyst at the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Yolani Fernando – Executive Director/ Co-founder of Arutha, a policy think tank focusing on economic research and communication, and Manisha Dissanayake – Attorney-at-Law and Founder of Arka Initiative.

Some of the key points discussed included the importance of including sanitary pads under essential services and the need for more political involvement more than civil society organisations.

Following this, the event continued with a line up of artistic presentations which included a puppet show by Power of Play focusing on cultural practices related to menarche in Sri Lanka, an interpretative Bharatanaatyam dance called ‘From Stigma to Strength: The Journey of Menstrual Empowerment’ by Abhirami Patikunam, a drama called ‘This Vicious Cycle’ by the Stages Theatre Group focusing on challenges of menstrual health and period poverty, an interactive improvisation by the Basement Playback Theatre Company and concluded with an entertaining session by The Singing Potatoes music group.

Following the successful completion of the event, FPASL is committed to continuing to raise awareness about period poverty and working to ensure that everyone has access to the menstrual hygiene products and education they need.