In terms of social justice movements happening across Canada, something that is hardly discussed is the accessibility of hygiene products for those who menstruate. In the Liberals’ proposed budget for 2022, they allotted $25 million dollars over two years to help make period products available for Canadians, but Women and Gender Equality Canada is still working on the program. It is still trying to figure out what exactly Canadians need, where these items should be available, and how to protect the climate at the same time. In the meantime Jada Malott, a university student in Windsor, Ontario Canada, has been working tirelessly over several years to make period products more available in her own community. She even launched her own program in 2022 called Period Product Partner. I chatted with Jada to shine light on the issues relating to menstrual equity and how we can resolve this issue in our community through her Period Product Partner enterprise.
Who is Jada Malott?
Jada Malott is a current student at the University of Windsor in Law and Politics. Political science seemed like a “no brainer” for Jada because of her politically active family upbringing, “where it was normal for us to discuss political issues directly at the dinner table.” Jada had done activist work in several areas during grade school in relation to equity, such as job security, but it wasn’t until high school when she began to focus on menstrual equity. In 2019, Jada learned about a fundraiser called Tampon Tuesday (created by Mandi Fields in London, Ontario), that was making its way to Windsor, and Jada wanted to find a way to be involved. Once she started Grade 9 at St. Joseph’s High School, Jada approved a plan with her principal to launch a Tampon Tuesday challenge alongside her friend, Mira Gillis, who attended Brennan (St. Joseph’s rival school) to see which school could bring in the most menstrual products. It was a huge hit, amassing 500 boxes in its first year.
In fall 2020, the total doubled to 1200 between both schools, and in 2021 (during the pandemic when students were online), several other schools contacted Jada to take part, and they collected 2200 boxes. In Jada’s senior year of high school, 15 secondary schools participated in the challenge they collected 3000 boxes to donate to those who menstruate within the community. Not only did Jada help advocate for menstrual equity through Tampon Tuesday, but she was also a Student Trustee with the Windsor Essex Catholic District School Board (WECDSB) from 2020-2022. During that time, Jada passed a motion with WECDSB trustee Kim Bouchard to implement menstrual products via coin-free dispensers at all WECDSB schools. She even took this initiative further by presenting this to the Windsor City Council, which has since launched a pilot program to provide menstrual products to all citizens at city buildings. With currently 6 city locations offering these coin free dispensers, some startup data has been collected that will lead to the implementation of these products at other city locations in the coming years.
So Why Does Jada Do this?
Jada feels that access to basic personal hygiene is a human right. “Menstrual products are NOT a luxury. Maintaining one’s period with dignity should NOT be considered a luxury.”, she says. Jada also feels that menstrual equity goes beyond just the products. “It is about generating conversations about this issue to end the stigma and taboo that surrounds the topic. It should not be normal to feel embarrassed when talking about menstruation, but unfortunately it is, and therefore people in our community suffer in silence. People who experience period poverty have missed school, work, and other social opportunities because they do not have the assets to manage their period in an adequate manner.”Jada also feels that this topic is extremely underrepresented as an issue across Canada, as period products are some of the most requested items at outreach centres, but they are also the least donated. She feels this is an underrated topic in Canada simply because it is a taboo topic, and the lack of accessibility also further reinforces the taboo of this topic. As Jada puts it, “It shouldn’t be normal to have to replace a pad or a tampon with a t-shirt. It shouldn’t be normal that the first thing someone reaches for in their cart when they have gone over-budget is the box of pads. It shouldn’t be normal for a girl to have to stay home from school for a week because she does not have period products at home. But it is. And this is a reality in Canada.” We can all agree that the Government still has a lot to do to fix this problem in Canada. In Jada’s household, she has created the phrase “menstruation matters, with a capital M-E-N at the beginning. MENstruation matters”, meaning that to break the silence, we need those identifying as men to also start speaking out about this issue and why it matters to those who menstruate within the community.
What is Period Product Partner?
The goal of Period Product Partner (PPP) is to eliminate barriers on both sides of the issue: the barriers that people who menstruate face, and the monetary barriers that businesses face in making these products more accessible. Period Product Partner is in the process of becoming a non-profit social enterprise created by Jada, her father (Mike Malott), and her sister (Sara Malott) to honour the passing of Jada’s grandmother. Jada’s grandmother was a single teen mom who lived on welfare while raising her two children. The heartbreaking story about the poverty she faced and the fact that she had to sacrifice period products to feed her children was Jada’s family’s motivation for change. Like Jada’s work with WECDSB, Period Product Partner provides small and privately-owned businesses with coin-free pad and tampon dispensers and keeps these dispensers stocked so that products are always readily available for any emergency. Businesses that wish to partner with PPP will receive the dispenser at a heavily discounted rate compared to other Canadian competitors. After purchase, Period Product Partner will keep the business’ dispenser fully stocked for free for an entire year and will collect consumption data from the dispenser if the business chooses to keep the machine after one year. PPP also makes 0 profit from this initiative and is simply doing this to help eliminate barriers in the community. Period Product Partner runs 100% off donations from the community and will work with businesses after the 1-year period to help create a restocking plan or help the business restock the menstrual products on their own. With an upfront cost of $294 (which includes the dispenser, the cost to get it set up by their licensed carpenter union, and restocking for 1 year) what’s not to like?
So, What’s Next?
In the future, Jada envisions a world where period products are available for everyone at no cost. She also hopes that this not only changes how people manage their period, but how the issue is viewed in general. “If we could create communities where periods weren’t an uncomfortable topic, we could create communities of equity and equality. Where a menstruator does not have to leave school because they do not have any products. Where a young menstruator is no longer teased for bleeding through her pants at school because she did not have a product and people point out the mishap in response to the discomfort the subject causes them.”
To learn more about Jada Malott’s efforts in menstrual equity and Period Product Partner, you can add Jada on Instagram or Facebook. You can also find Period Product Partner on Facebook and Instagram @periodproductpartner. Finally, if you wish to donate to Period Product Partner, you can DM Jada on Instagram or Facebook.