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History
2014
While on a Fulbright Scholarship to Ethiopia, Dr. Lewis Wall and his wife, Helen were introduced to the work of Freweini Mebrahtu, founder of the Mariam Seba Sanitary Products Factory. Together with their friends, Lynn and Mike Coatney, they decided to create Dignity Period to help Freweini in providing accurate menstrual education along with free reusable period supplies to improve girls' personal comfort and attendance in school.
2016
With a growing team based at Mekelle University, Dignity Period studied the effects of providing menstrual education and period supplies on girls’ school attendance. In a large study of 15 schools, school absences among girls decreased by 24% compared to boys following the program intervention.
24%
reduction in school
absences among girls compared to boys
2019
Freweini Mebrahtu was named CNN's 2019 Hero of the Year for her pioneering work to change the cultural stigma around menstrual periods in Ethiopia.
That same year, Dignity Period began its outreach in St. Louis, MO, after conducting a research study that found nearly 2/3 of low-income women surveyed did not have enough money to buy period supplies during the previous year.
2020
Dignity Period continued its work in St. Louis, but the global Covid pandemic and the outbreak of war in Tigray halted programs in Ethiopia. In just 6 years there, Dignity Period had distributed 165,000 menstrual product kits to girls and had educated over 336,000 male and female students about menstruation.
2022
Since beginning its outreach in the St. Louis region, Dignity Period has distributed over 4,000 Dignity Period Kits to those in need.
2023
Unharmed by the war, in 2023 The Mariam Seba Sanitary Products Factory resumed production as peace returned, but many challenges still remain.
Dignity Period began operations in Seattle, WA, with plans to distribute Dignity Period Kits and educational materials through partnerships with Compass Health and other local organizations. Between St. Louis and Seattle, we're on track to distribute 15,000 kits in the U.S., the equivalent of 3.6 million disposable products
Carrying Our Mission into the Future
Dignity Period believes that the 5 to 7 days of one’s period should seem like any other day of the month. By giving girls and women the tools to manage their periods, they can continue their education, their jobs, and their lives without interruption and with dignity.
Dignity Period is unlike other charities that provide period supplies because the products we distribute are reusable. Not only do our recipients feel secure knowing they have a year's worth of period supplies, but using washable, reusable pads reduces landfill waste. Each washable pad is the equivalent of 240 tampons or disposable pads per individual per year.
