Donate to make period justice a reality

No one should be held back because of their period.

But for millions of women and girls around the world, menstruation still means missing school, facing stigma, and risking their health and safety.

Periods should never cost a girl her education, dignity or future.

ActionAid has teamed up with WUKA to end period poverty and demand period justice.

Together, we’re raising awareness, breaking taboos and supporting women and girls who are fighting for their rights.

Please support women and girls’ demands for equality and justice, and donate today.

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What is the difference between period poverty and period injustice?

Period poverty is the lack of access to menstrual products, safe facilities and accurate information. It means not being able to afford pads or period pants, missing school because there’s nowhere private to change, or using unsafe alternatives.

But period injustice is about the unequal systems and social norms that shame, silence and discriminate against women, girls and people who menstruate. It’s about laws, policies and attitudes that treat periods as taboo or as a luxury. It’s about girls being pulled out of sport, missing education, facing harassment, or being denied dignity because of a natural biological process.

Ending period poverty provides products.

Ending period injustice transforms systems and changes culture.

And that’s what we’re working towards.

We believe:

A period should never stop a girl going to school
No one should feel shame about their body
Period products should be affordable and sustainable
Sexual and reproductive rights should be respected everywhere

Period justice is about more than being able to afford menstrual products. It’s about the systems that hold women and girls back, shrink their rights, steal their power and compromise their safety.

Together with WUKA, we’re working towards a world where menstruation is treated with dignity and equality.

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Founder and CEO WUKA

Meet Ruby

Ruby Raut, grew up in Nepal, where periods came with exile, stigma, and silence. Sent away to a hut during her cycle, she knew something had to change. Years later, Ruby brought science, sustainability and lived experience together to create something radically different: the UK’s first reusable period underwear. A category-defining product born from the belief that no one should feel ashamed of their body’s power.

"I started WUKA because I never wanted another girl to feel the shame I did. Periods are not dirty or embarrassing, they’re natural. They’re powerful. And they deserve care that reflects that."

Standing with women to end chhaupadi in Nepal

In parts of western Nepal, menstrual seclusion practices known as chhaupadi continue in communities facing long-standing economic marginalisation and gender and caste inequalities, and many households lack private toilets, washing facilities, nearby health services, and affordable menstrual products.

In some cases, social restrictions also prevent menstruating women and girls from using household facilities. During their periods, women and girls may therefore be expected to stay in separate spaces outside the main home.

Although the practice was criminalised in 2005, laws alone cannot address the social and economic conditions that shape everyday life.

ActionAid has worked in Nepal since 1982, supporting local women’s rights organisations and youth activists across the region who have been leading conversations in their communities around menstrual dignity, safety, health, and rights.

Their work has focused not only on challenging stigma around periods, but also on improving access to menstrual health and rights education, affordable menstrual products, and workshops where women and girls can learn to create reusable pads and develop safer washing and toilet facilities.

Through partnerships with these locally-led initiatives, communities have been able to create safer, more equitable alternatives and move away collectively from chhaupadi.

I'd like to help

Ruby, CEO and Founder of WUKA said:

I’ve seen firsthand how deeply period poverty affects lives, and that’s why this partnership matters to me. issue. I’m proud to be standing alongside ActionAid to demand period justice for all and to help bring about a world where menstruation is treated with dignity, where no one is held back from learning, working or socialising because of their period, and where sexual and reproductive rights are respected."

Support the rights of women and girls and donate today.

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Our partnership with WUKA

WUKA was founded on a simple belief: period care should be sustainable, accessible and stigma-free.

Founder Ruby Raut has led groundbreaking work to challenge period inequality.

Removing the tampon tax on period pants

When period pants were classified as a “luxury item” in the UK and taxed with 20% VAT, Ruby launched a national campaign. After meeting politicians and mobilising public pressure, VAT on period pants was scrapped in 2024, making sustainable period care more affordable for thousands.

Keeping girls in sport

Through WUKA’s Tackle Anything programme, over 1,600 girls have been supported across grassroots football, rugby, netball and taekwondo. Clubs have received free period underwear and education for coaches, parents and players.

Changing education early

Through WUKA Talks, Ruby works with schools to deliver inclusive period education that goes beyond pads and tampons and supports girls who are neurodivergent, disabled or from marginalised backgrounds.

Together, ActionAid and WUKA are turning awareness into real change for women and girls everywhere.

Let's go!

Amadia, 17, is a secondary‑school student and aspiring poet and musician, who lives in southern Rwanda.

Christie Ntwari/ActionAid

“I am valuable today and tomorrow”

Amadia, 17, is a secondary-school student, aspiring poet and musician living in southern Rwanda.

At an ActionAid Rwanda summer camp, Amadia joined other girls in interactive learning sessions led by local women role models, activists and community leaders. The camp focused on skills, advocacy and self-confidence and on something many girls still struggle to talk about: periods.

“If a girl is not yet comfortable talking about periods, tell her to be brave. You can share experiences and have open discussions with her. She will gradually get used to it, just like I did.” Amadia explains how talking helps reduces stigma.

Through the camp, Amadia learned how to make reusable sanitary pads, a practical skill that gives girls independence. They can keep pads at school and manage their periods with confidence and privacy.

She believes change doesn’t stop with the girls. For Amadia, period justice is about more than products. It’s about having a voice, access to knowledge and creating self-worth.

Now, Amadia plans to teach other students about pad-making, openness and self-confidence. spreading knowledge through friendship networks and school clubs, while continuing to develop her poetry and music.

What gives me confidence is feeling strong within myself. I am valuable today and tomorrow and so are you.”

Support girls like Amadia

About ActionAid

ActionAid is an international charity that works with women and girls living in poverty.

Our dedicated staff are changing the world with women and girls. We are ending violence and poverty so that all women, everywhere, can create the future they want.

We operate in rural and urban communities across Asia, Africa and Latin America.

We're committed to ending the cycle of violence in communities around the world, enabling women's economic justice and supporting women's and girls' rights during humanitarian crises.

Find out more about our period justice work.