Brown paper grocery bags, dirty napkins, toilet paper wads, and scraps of cloth; this is what women without the means are using to stop their period flow. It’s a tale as old as time and one that stretches across all corners of the globe, tying individuals together simply through biology. Periods don’t just cause blood stained panties; they can cause infections, issues with maternal and child mortality in developing countries, and a decrease in school attendance rates , thus making it a generational and societal issue for all types of communities, everywhere.June’s Fierce Woman of the Month, Nadya Okamoto, has a solution with Camions of Care.
We’ve reported on the hardships that homeless women face when trying to deal with their periods – inadequate facilities to shower or clean themselves and difficulty in accessing feminine hygiene products – and the young women and girls banding together to address their needs, but this month we’re featuring a young woman who has risen strong and tall, regardless of weak support from the system, who has fought her way through her own family’s time of homelessness and constant transition, and created a network of supplies and support for other women in need.
Nadya’s quest has ensured that women in need had menstrual hygiene supplies for their 21,000 different periods. Each kit contains nine tampons, five pantiliners, four maxipads and costs just $2 due to all the research, partnerships, and sponsors Nadya’s team has secured.
“The best part, she says “is that the cost per package is actually much less than $2 because of the in-kind donations that we receive from community drives and from manufacturing partners themselves. For example, because of the generous donation on behalf of Maxim Hygiene of 280,000 tampons, for the next six months, each package is about $1! This means that for every one dollar that comes into our organization, we are able to provide another woman with everything she needs for an entire menstrual cycle!”
Her new goal is to be able to provide at least 20 new women a week access to feminine hygiene products; Maxim is also doing our part by ensuring that 10% of all our sales this month will go to supporting Nadya’s initiative. As she said so succinctly in her TedX talk in Portland, if menstrual hygiene and these needs are not addressed, “these women and girls will not be provided with the confidence and dignity every human deserves and needs to reach their full potential.”
We got the chance to sit down and chat with Nadya, to learn about her inspiration and ask her some questions. Here’s what we found out:
It looks like you started this non-profit and have been running it while in high school! What three tips or advice can you give fellow young entrepreneurs looking to start their own ventures?
I am nervous to be running it from college because my dreams and determination for the organization require a lot of commitment and work to make it happen. However, I believe in my team, and the infrastructure we have established to keep our systems running and our growth rising. My three pieces of advice would be:
(1) Make sure that you are truly fascinated and passionate about your cause, because if you truly want to make a difference it is going to take commitment and you will be spending a lot of hours investing on your venture (so make sure you love it!).
(2) Don’t start something that is already out there. That is just redundant and if you are the second organization, if there is not something unique about your approach, you will just be the underdog. You can make a stronger impact by partnering up with the already existent organization and contributing to their cause.
(3) You can’t do it alone. Trust me, I am usually a total control-freak, and I had to learn that in order to maximize your potential as a leader, you need to empower others to be leaders and join you. Learn to delegate responsibilities and trust.
You have collected the stories of homeless women for inspiration and the drive for founding Camions for Care. Can you share a particularly impactful one that made you realize your vision for the non-profit?
It is hard for me to identify a single story that pushed me to grasp a hold of the opportunity to found Camions of Care. This is because it was not just one story, the reason that I started this organization is because there was an overwhelming number of stories that I heard from homeless women (just in the Portland Metro Area) who opened up about using toilet paper, stolen pillow cases, and most commonly brown paper grocery bags, to maintain their periods.
I can, however, tell you that there was one night at a women’s homeless shelter that I asked a group of women the questions, “how do you deal with your period?” After many “Oh my goodness!” and “Let me tell you the struggle, goodness gracious!” statements, they opened up to me with stories that were all very similar—none of them had an organization that they could depend on to get feminine hygiene products when they were on their periods. They also told me how sometimes they knew a service had tampons and pads, but something in them made them scared to ask for it. It was this one night, of sitting with about ten other homeless women, all who had similar stories and bonded over the struggle around dealing with your period when there are no accessible feminine hygiene products.
At Maxim Hygiene, we define a Fierce Woman as a “glorious female creature whose idea of beauty is hinged upon the idea that she can change the world with each choice, each moment and each breath of her life.” Who in your life do you believe is a Fierce Woman and why?
Lois Cohen is a Fierce Woman in my life. She is one of my mentors and friends for life. I met her recently, and already in the few times that I have spent time with her she has shown me what it means to be confident in one’s voice and potential, and find the intersectionality of your passion (hers, in politics and community) and public service. She truly makes the world around her a better place through her work, and has already changed my perspective and approach in life through our conversations.
Feeling as inspired by Nadya’s story as we are? Your next purchase of Maxim Hygiene organic tampons, natural pads or panty liners could help bring down the cost of Nadya’s menstrual kits even further! As part of our #FierceWomenFunded campaign, we’ve committed to donate 10% and give you 10% off any sale made at our online store using the following coupon code at checkout: CAMIONS
A straight donation to Camions of Care can make an even bigger impact. Click here to make a contribution directly through their website and not only will you keep our #FierceWomenFunded but you’ll join us and many others on the path to menstrual equity, where nobody will ever experience menstrual shaming again!