It may come as a surprise to many that New Zealand is among the list of countries that are experiencing period poverty.
Period poverty is defined as the lack of access to sanitary products, menstrual hygiene education, toilets, hand washing facilities and waste management.
Every day, girls and women around the world miss school or work because they are unable to manage their periods, studies indicated.
A recent Otago University study estimated that 94,788 girls between the ages of 9 and 18 may not be able to afford period products in NZ, and may be staying home during their periods, as a result.
Shuari Naidoo, a student at Victoria University in Wellington, as well as the CEO and founder of Moraka Menstrual Cups, saw herself as a period activist on a mission to counteract period poverty in NZ, by creating affordable and sustainable period products.
“We should strive towards ending period poverty in society and making sure that people have access to period products, but also improving our relationship with periods,” Naidoo told the Indian Weekender.
Naidoo said one in five New Zealanders had experienced period poverty.
The rate was higher for Maori and Pasifika populations, with 60 per cent of Maori youth having experienced period poverty, according to Naidoo.
Naidoo described period poverty as a “silent issue” that people didn’t want to be seen to be struggling with.
The problem was not limited to pockets of society, but occurred across communities, Naidoo noted.
“It affects Maori, Pasifika, Pakeha, Asian, immigrant, people from refugee backgrounds. And it primarily affects people on middle to lower incomes.”
Naidoo believed period poverty was driven by a combination of factors, such as income, “meaning one can’t afford the monthly burden of buying pads and tampons”, and also the stigma associated with periods.
Issues that affect women or subjects that are pertinent to women were often stigmatised, Naidoo contended.
Naidoo’s company is based in NZ and usually trades with universities, NGOs and direct-to-consumer markets in NZ. “But we are definitely looking to Australia in the near future.”
Naidoo started Moraka Menstrual Cups when she was 16 years old, under the Young Enterprise Scheme. She was inspired by her mother who wanted to start a menstrual cup business but didn’t feel the time was right. Then, in 2012, she had a conversation about it with Naidoo. The company came to fruition in 2019.
How viable is her product as compared to other period products?
“We try to make our cups as affordable as possible. The average menstrual cups cost around $ 30 to $ 90, which is unaffordable for people of middle to lower incomes. Buying pads and tampons monthly can be a financial burden for people.”
But Naidoo conceded the average cost of menstrual cups was still high. So, her strategy was to “get people through the door” by pricing her product at an “affordable cost.”
Moraka’s menstrual cups, that Naidoo claimed were made from “100 per cent medical grade silicone,” cost $ 22 a piece.
That still presented a conundrum for buyers accustomed to cost-effective alternatives.
But Naidoo argued menstrual cups eliminated the cost of buying monthly pads and tampons and allowed people to access period products instead. “You’re able to go about your everyday life without having to pay for pads and tampons. Furthermore, menstrual cups lasted 10 years. So that’s 10 years’ worth of period products in just one cup.”
That was a debate for the market to resolve. Meanwhile, Naidoo remained firm that “the period equity movement would only get bigger.”
ISSUE
Leave a Comment