The local government is actively responding to the increasingly discussed issue of period poverty with this initiative.
A new project called Let's Say No to Period Poverty was launched under the patronage of the Žilina City Foundation, officially joining the broader Initiative for Dignified Menstruation.
As city spokesperson Zuzana Ondrášová explained, the main tool for this help will be so-called menstrual boxes. These are primarily intended for all women and girls who find themselves in unexpected need, facing financial difficulties, or simply lacking access to basic hygiene products at a given moment.
The special boxes can be found at five strategically chosen locations. They will be available directly in the city hall building, within the community centers Hájik and Na predmestí, as well as at two elementary schools, specifically on Limbova and Karpatska streets.
Anna Barčíková, the city foundation's manager, points out that the lack of hygiene supplies is often an invisible but serious issue. Period poverty significantly affects girls from socially disadvantaged backgrounds. The inability to obtain adequate supplies causes extremely unpleasant and stressful situations not only in the workplace or public spaces but often leads to girls directly missing school classes.
