The experience of puberty and first period can define a girl’s life, including being expected to take on adult roles, change her dress, and change her behaviour. But too many girls are frequently unprepared for their first period, and cannot afford, or have access to sanitary pads. This lack of access often results in girls missing school during their period, and in many cases leaving education completely. It is estimated that of the 100 million girls of high school age currently not in school around the world, menstruation and puberty are significant underlying factors.
Join the Global Health Initiative for the screening of “Period. End of Sentence”. This documentary follows the work of Muruganantham, known as Pad Man, who created a machine that makes affordable, biodegradable pads from locally sourced materials, helping girls and women gain independence and stay in education.
The screening will be followed by a panel discussion and Q&A around the issues covered in the film.
About the speakers:
Karishma Dmello is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Gender, Policy and Inequalities at the Department of Gender Studies. She has interned at Myna Mahila Foundation, a grassroots NGO in Mumbai, India which employs women from the surrounding slum to manufacture and sell sanitary napkins. She led the team on designing and creating education sessions explaining menstruation, stigma and menstrual product availability, effectiveness and disposal which they delivered to local schools and colleges.
Pippa Hardingham (@pippaah) is a current Master’s candidate with the Gender Department, studying Gender, Development and Globalisation. Prior to returning to academia, Pippa worked for a number of leading UK advertising agencies, including M&C Saatchi, Ogilvy and AMV BBDO. During this career she led several research and production projects for Libresse, an international brand of feminine hygiene products, helping launch the ‘No blood should hold us back’ advertising campaign internationally. The campaign aimed to end the industry conventions of blue liquid, white jeans and roller-skates, and help normalise the reality of menstruation.
Dr Tiziana Leone(@tizianaleone)is an Associate Professor in the department of International Development at the London School of Economics. Tiziana’s research agenda is focused on women’s health in LMICs with a focus on lifecourse around maternal and reproductive health. She is currently studying the linkages that menarche, menopause and mid-life age have on fertility outcomes and health in later life. She has collaborated in expert roles with international organisations (eg: WHO, UNFPA and UNICEF) in tracking the progress of the MDGs and SDGs in LMICs in maternal health.
Chair:
Joe Strong (@JoeStrongDemog) is a PhD student in the Department of Social Policy at the London School of Economics. His current research explores the relationship between men, masculinities and emergency contraception and abortion trajectories in Ghana. Further research areas include sexual and reproductive health among adolescents, women’s empowerment, and data collection methodologies. His most recent publication was a scoping review on puberty and menstruation knowledge among young adolescents in LMICs.
Whilst we are hosting this listing, LSE Events does not take responsibility for the running and administration of this event. While we take responsible measures to ensure that accurate information is given here (for instance by checking the room has been booked) this event is ultimately the responsibility of the organisation presenting the even