Unison Period Poverty Presentation

On December 19, 2023 The Ursuline School invited guest speaker Harnaaz Sandhu for the school’s yearly Global Symposium. This year’s Global Symposium focused on the global issue of period poverty and how to reach menstrual equity.

Throughout her life, Ms. Sandhu has been breaking barriers and helping women. Growing up, she would volunteer at health camps with her mother who is a gynecologist, which inspired her mission in life. In December of 2021, Ms. Sandhu was crowned Miss Universe at the 70th Miss Universe Organization competition, and winning this competition allowed her to use her platform to spread awareness and expand her impact on helping women around the world.

In March 2022, Ms. Sandhu helped launch a coalition for period poverty in India where 62% of women don’t have access to safe menstrual products. The coalition’s goal is to educate, pass policies, reduce stigma, and increase access to menstrual products. Its aim is to reach five million women by 2025. Additionally, they hope to eventually become international. Ms. Sandhu explains that the coalition wants to turn “period poverty to period power-ty.”

Ms. Sandhu strongly supports our school’s motto, Serviam, meaning “I will serve.” She believes that “service is the most prestigious gift you can give to others.” She told students that everyone is capable of having a positive impact on the world, and she encouraged us to take action by educating ourselves on world issues and putting effort into solving them.

When asked, “Was there anything in particular about Ms. Sandhu that stood out to you, and how did your views about period poverty change after hearing her?” one junior answered, “Ms. Sandhu presents with such confidence, and it is not only beautiful, but she supports it with intelligence and her mission to make a positive impact on the world. Hearing her made me want to work harder to help women in need and affected by period poverty. ”

In Ms. Sandhu’s visit to The Ursuline School she said to students, “Believe in yourselves, love yourselves, and achieve your goals.” With this said, she believes that if we are all collectively committed, we will be able to reach menstrual equity.

After Ms. Sandhu’s inspiring words, Ursuline took to action on the global issue of period poverty. In January, the Serviam Saturday, which is generally a food drive, was organized to be a period product drive. Donations were given to Young Lives Manhattan which supports young, single mothers in need. Additionally, in February, the school set up a period product drive in the arcade for around two weeks. The school also sold a $5 menstrual equity bracelet in the Brendan J. Moyna Bookstore. The bracelet has twenty eight beads to represent the days of the menstrual cycle, twenty two of which are white, and five of which are red to represent your period. Ms. Sandhu is a passionate young woman who aligns with Ursuline’s mission. As an all-girls school, we should continue to take inspiration from her in uplifting women and taking further action against period poverty and the various issues present in our world.