As Mahnaz Afkhami once said, “Women's empowerment is intertwined with respect for human rights.” My name is Jennifer and I am a high school teacher from Brampton, Ontario; I am creating this petition to ultimately call Proctor and Gamble into action, to help empower the girls and women of Rwanda. There is a basic need in Rwanda that must be filled. A need that Proctor and Gamble can provide. A need that, unless fulfilled, leaves thousands of women in Rwanda frequently out of work and school for several days throughout the year, feeling embarrassed in their communities, and ultimately, experiencing deep shame and helplessness, just for being a woman. The need is for adequate sanitary protection for menstruating women. As written in a newspaper article entitled “Menstruation stigma costs girls dearly”, by child’s rights activists, Craig and Marc Kielburger, “Every year, women and girls miss on average 50 days of work or school because they can’t afford effective sanitary pads”. With this type of time lost, the hope of the country’s economic power deteriorates. As the founder of Sustainable Health Enterprises explains, “when we talk to the Rwandan Minister of Finance, we talk about the economic consequences of girls not going to school. We talk about the future of the country”. It is estimated that their, “earning potential is decreased by 10 to 20 per cent with every year of schooling lost”. I am asking that Proctor and Gamble provide a one-year supply of pads and liners to the girls and women of Rwanda (which is approximately 5 million) or, a monetary contribution that will directly help generate a factory in which the country can create its own, adequate sanitary supplies. Please sign the petition and inform your friends, family members and co-workers of this petition. Thank you.

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