Free Period Campaign

Ending Period Poverty. Restoring Dignity. Keeping Girls in School.

Menstruation remains one of the most persistent and least addressed barriers to education. Without access to menstrual products, accurate information, or supportive environments, many girls miss classes every month, fall behind, or quietly disengage from school altogether.

The Free Period Campaign is Girls HerRising’s school-based menstrual health initiative. It exists to ensure that no displaced girl misses school or loses dignity because of her period.

These barriers are not minor inconveniences. They directly affect attendance, performance, confidence, and retention in school. We address menstruation not as a hygiene issue alone, but as a critical education and dignity issue.

Our Approach

The Free Period Campaign combines access, education, and student-led advocacy to create lasting change in schools serving displaced girls.

School Pad Banks

We establish pad banks in schools so girls can access menstrual products discreetly and reliably when they need them. This reduces absenteeism and removes the immediate financial barrier that keeps girls at home during their periods. In many schools, pad banks are managed with the involvement of student leaders to ensure privacy, accountability, and continuity.

See how school pad banks work in practice

Menstrual Health & SRH Education

We deliver age-appropriate, rights-based education on menstruation and sexual and reproductive health (SRH). Girls learn how their bodies work, how to manage their periods safely, and how to challenge myths and stigma that affect their wellbeing and confidence. These sessions are designed to equip girls with knowledge they can use and share within their schools and communities.

See how menstrual health education is delivered in schools

See how we address
menstrual barriers beyond
schools

Period Republic Clubs (Student-Led)

Period Republics are student-led leadership and advocacy structures embedded within schools participating in the Free Period Campaign. They are made up of girls and boys known as Period MinistHers, including displaced girls, who take responsibility for advancing menstrual dignity, influencing school practices, and supporting their peers.

Through Period Republics, girls are not passive recipients of support. They are recognised as leaders with the ability to shape how their schools respond to menstruation and girls’ wellbeing.

By centring displaced girls as leaders and advocates within their own schools, Period Republic Clubs ensure that change is sustained, owned, and responsive to girls’ realities, long after one-off interventions end. Learn how girls are shaping menstrual

See how school pad banks work in practice

We are the only organization in Cameroon dedicated exclusively to supporting internally displaced girls and young women affected by the Anglophone Crisis.

Get in touch with us

girlsherrising@gmail.com

+237672377935

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