In another attempt to fight the escalating period poverty in Lebanon, the NGO Marsa Sexual Health Center is giving out free reusable and/or non-reusable sanitary pads for those who need them.
Based in Beirut, the non-profit organization has been operating since February 2011 and provides anonymous services related to sexual and reproductive health for economically disadvantaged people.
With the hiking of prices in the country, the cost of menstrual pads in Lebanon has risen by almost 500%, according to a report by Agence France-Presse (AFP).
More than half the Lebanese population lives in mire poverty, and many women are resorting to unhygienic alternatives out of better options.
The report also quoted Dawrati, an NGO committed to ending period poverty, which voiced deep concerns regarding this issue in Lebanon.
“Half of the women suffering from period poverty are using newspaper, toilet paper, or old rags instead of pads, while two-thirds of adolescent girls have no means of purchasing sanitary products,” said the organization.
That alarming situation has given rise to many NGO initiatives, including the UN Women in Lebanon which, supported by Japan, has launched an initiative to produce local and quality sanitary pads in Tripoli to help fight period poverty.
Marsa Sexual Health Center can be reached from Monday to Friday, 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM, in Badaro, Beirut, and by phone on 01 380 515 and 70 953 620, or via email at [email protected].
The long-untackled economic crisis in Lebanon continues to hit hard the population, and an alarming number of children are suffering from hunger. UNICEF just issued a report in which it revealed that, since October 2021, over 53% of Children in Lebanon are skipping a daily meal.
