Millions of girls and women around the world miss out on school or work, and see negative impacts on their health due to period poverty, the inability to afford menstrual products, sanitation, and hygiene facilities, the United Nations says. The problem also exists here.

In Estonia, there are approximately 47,500 girls aged 12–18, and data shows every seventh girl has missed school because they could not afford menstrual products. Sanitary products, such as tampons and pads, have a 22 percent VAT rate, which hikes the price and makes them unaffordable to some.  

On International Women's Day 2021, civic activist and feminist Eveliis Padar started a citizen initiative to lower the VAT on menstrual products and to make them more accessible to young people. Her online petition gathered 3,256 signatures, enough for it to be debated in the Riigikogu. But it was quickly rejected. Unwilling to give up, she co-founded NGO Days and Nights with Natalie Mets, who was working for the Social Democratic Party (SDE) at the time, to continue solving the problem.

One of the causes of period poverty is shame and the stigma around discussing menstruation. It is still common for a nurse to hand out pads and tampons in Estonian schools, Padar says, and they need to be requested when needed. But this requires having enough confidence to do so – something young people often lack. There have been cases where students have gone home instead, Padar adds.

"Every missed class (especially one that can be avoided) sets a young person on a worse starting point and prevents them from fulfilling their full potential. The inequality that starts from there can be prevented," she tells ERR News. "Most menstruating people have started their period unexpectantly, and our target is to ensure a richer environment for them, to offer them help right where they need it – in the school restroom."

Back in 2021, Padar decided to start locally – in her hometown of Tartu, Estonia's second-largest city. Knowing similar schemes had been successful internationally, she had no doubt something was needed and possible here. Padar launched Tartu's "School Pad" ("Kooliside") an initiative to help distribute free menstrual products in schools in cooperation with Tartu City Council and the "remarkable support" of Tartu Deputy Mayor Lemmit Kaplinski (SDE).

NGO Days and Nights created information materials for young people, parents, and school staff. They also helped with the procurement to obtain sustainable and environmentally friendly products.

"We spent lots of energy on the education and engagement of gatekeepers and decision-makers in the project. It was also tremendous work to assign the inventory of the products and budgeting to over 31 schools and 4,000 girls from the ages of 12-18," Padar explains.

The project was deemed a success, and 25 schools out of 31 continue to participate in the project today. In 2022, approximately 70,000 menstrual products were handed out to schools.

But not all the schools continued. Some dropped out of the scheme saying teachers can hand out products instead. Although two of the schools said they would put them back in the toilets if children asked.

Others also stopped due to the misuse of the products. For example, boys jokingly stuck the pads to bathroom mirrors. Some teachers organized a discussion to tackle the issue and the boys left the meeting "smarter with new knowledge and experience."

Padar says incidents like this should not be used as an excuse. She compared it to the 90s before toilet paper was standard in Estonian schools. "They [schools] must have worried in the 90s that children would flush toilet paper down the toilet or even steal free products, but it is mostly a one-time adventure, and the benefits of the free products will outweigh the backlash. We cannot possibly question today if soap and toilet paper should be freely accessible in the toilets?" Padar says, rhetorically.

In the beginning, some schools also did not know how or where to keep the products. But Padar believes no significant investments need to be made. "There is no need for expensive vending machines. Some have placed shelves or cabinets in the bathrooms or taped a plastic box to the wall. NGO Days and Nights offers little distribution boxes for standard-sized pads. No problem is insurmountable, but it can be used as an excuse at the very beginning," she outlines.

Padar says schools were very interested in the project but the conversation always circled back to price. She thinks it would be simpler if the local government procured items for all schools as it is much cheaper and reduces the workload for school staff. Padar calculated that the average annual amount needed to pay for the project is €3.47 per person.

"If one sanitary product costs around 22 cents, then by ordering them in a large amount we have received them for only 7 cents in the past. With today's higher VAT, I doubt we would manage to find anything with such a low cost nowadays. The strength lies in collaboration and sustainability," she says.

But how has it helped those in need? "School Pad" is very popular among students, Padar says. The project has received warm feedback from students who say there is a need for the scheme in their schools. However, it is not known if the initiative has stopped students from skipping school. 

A similar project was launched in Tallinn in March. NGO Days and Nights co-founder Natalie Mets (SDE), who has since become the capital's nightlife mayor, advocated for the project. The city issued a €50,000 tender which was won by the Latvian firm SIA "TZMO Latvija".

"We are providing young people with access to free menstrual products because menstruation is an inevitability, and hygiene products must be accessible to everyone," Mets said in a press release at the time. "Menstruation should not cause unnecessary anxiety or embarrassment."

Asked to comment on the Tallinn project, Padar said she is happy the capital has now taken this step, but its future relies on financial and political will. "The success of the project lies in discussions, public debates, and how empathetic or solidary those people in power are," she tells ERR News.

The NGO still carries out a donation drive every year on Women's Day to support the start of the project in other schools and municipalities. "Thanks to donations, this year "School Pad" has been taken to more than 500 different girls in different schools in Tartu, Viljandi, Pärnu and Rapla counties," Padar says.

Asked about her plans for the future of the project, Padar says: "I would be happier if, in a few years, all Estonian schools had menstrual products as part of basic supply and whoever is responsible for providing toilet paper and soap to the schools would also include menstrual pads in their budget."

More information about NGO Days and Nights can be found HERE.

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