Investment in Menstrual Health, a win-win-win for women, economies and the environment

Transforming the menstrual hygiene marketplace, with an estimated size of 1.8 billion people globally, will change the trajectory of millions of lives

Globally, 1 in 4 women and girls cannot manage their period safely and with dignity. Which means that every month, millions of women and girls are excluded from school, workforces and socioeconomic opportunities. This is a barrier to health, education, growth, equality and prosperity.

A new approach to Menstrual Health and Hygiene (MHH) is needed, one that creates structural change. Read more about our approach here. 

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At SHF, we believe the answer lies in building thriving MHH markets, that delivers access to safe, affordable and quality products for all. A recent study funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation estimated that across Low and Middle Income Countries (LMICs), 800 million women and girls are ready and willing to pay for reusable menstrual products. They would even prioritize them over other essential goods. 

We are grateful to our partner, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) for their leadership in advocating for change and taking this message to the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2024, following their record contribution to SHF in 2023.

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Together with governments, entrepreneurs and funders, we can make the menstrual hygiene marketplace viable, investible and sustainable. Through market transformation, we can change the trajectory of millions of lives. Because there is no comprehensible reason why period poverty should continue to be a barrier to health, gender and economic inequality; it is time to capitalize on the investment opportunity that is MHH, for women, for economies and for sustainability.

For more information, please contact adrian.dongus@shfund.org, MHH Markets Specialist, SHF.