It’s estimated that around 800 million people live in period poverty globally. Flo Haven is a non-profit organisation that aims to eradicate period poverty in Nigeria. Their goal is to empower those affected by this issue through the provision of menstrual health education and increasing access to sustainable, eco friendly period products, with a view to eradicating period poverty worldwide. We spoke to founder Tara Akindele to find out more about her important work.
Hello! Please can you tell us a little about yourself?
My name is Tara and I am a biomedical science graduate. I am passionate about women's health particularly in the area of menstrual equity. My degree in biomedical science definitely helped me in understanding human physiology and the effects of poor menstrual health in women and girls.
For those who aren’t familiar with Flo Haven, can you explain the background to the charity and its goals?
Flo Haven is a non-profit organisation that advocates for menstrual equity and the provision of menstrual health education to the underprivileged girls in Nigeria. The charity’s vision is to eradicate period poverty and the stigma attached to menstruation in Nigeria.
I flew back to Nigeria sometime in March 2020, and had only planned on staying a week. But due to the coronavirus, my short, one-week trip turned into a yearlong stay. During my stay, I read an article in Punch Newspaper about period poverty, and how large of an issue it is in Nigeria. The article spoke about how some women and girls in underprivileged communities use palm tree leaves as a substitute to period pads to hold their blood. This made me burdened with sadness, and re-ignited my passion to help solve the issue of period poverty.
I immediately went into different communities to speak to women and girls in order to get a better understanding on the issue of period poverty in Nigeria and created a short documentary (see below). Thereafter, I volunteered for a charitable foundation that worked with women and girls to provide them with menstrual products.
However, not long after, I took the initiative to start my own in December 2020: Flo Haven. Flo Haven is a play on the word “LOVE”. We believe in spreading love to communities through provision of eco-friendly menstrual products as well as menstrual health education. We also believe in having a sustainable impact on these communities.
Instagram, ” target=”_blank”>Twitter by messaging us directly or they can fill out our Volunteer Form found in our bios within these socials. We also have a
