Vacations and Periods

Ahhh, vacation. After a year+ of online school, and workdays without beginnings or endings, the Girls Helping Girls. Period. team finally got a chance to take a much-needed break. We (the Joy family, founders of GHGP) are exceedingly lucky, and we know it, to have been able to travel for a vacation, for the first time in nearly two years. A short drive into town, or a fun bike ride to the pier, yielded a harbor teeming with yachts and sailboats. Just being able to take in that view is a luxury.

But summer isn't always a welcome break. Getting a period while on vacation can be a nightmare. And we're not talking about what happens when you want to wear your cutest white bikini, or you realize (as we did!) that you don't have any tampons when your period starts a few days early. For those who struggle to afford basics, summer vacation can be fraught with issues including a lack of childcare, the absence of social, academic and other adult supports and a sudden scarcity of much-needed pads and tampons.

Before our vacation even got started we got this email from a 13-year-old student who had the tenacity and ability to find us online, but not the resources to provide herself with the most basic of necessities. Sadly, hers is not the only email of its kind we've received this summer. We have lots of them. In each case, we look for local partners to help us, because we believe strongly that a local solution is the best answer. It really doesn't make a lot of sense to ship products across the country when there is need everywhere, and also people willing to help nearby.

We hope all of you who need one, get a REAL BREAK soon. Having a little bit of time to step away, disconnect (as you may/may not have noticed we totally did!), and just breathe fresh air with the people you love really makes a world of difference. We know this is an absolute luxury for many people, and so now, we get back to work trying to help all of those who need our little bit of support. If you would like to be a part of that, here's the link to donate. And thank you.

A version of this article appeared on "The Spot," the Girls Helping Girls. Period. blog.