PHILIPSBURG- On Friday, Minister Omar Ottley was accompanied by Minister Rudolph Samuel, Coordinator of Teen Times Mrs. Rochelayne Richardson-Romey, Staff of Community Development Family & Humanitarian Affairs Mrs. Elba Hanson-Flanders and Mrs. Elencia M. Baptiste-Boasman, for the handing over of Feminine Hygiene products to two School Boards. 

The handing over marked the commencement of a distribution process of feminine hygiene products to the various subsidized & public schools. At the handing over, representatives from the Roman Catholic School Board, School Manager Edmaira Jacobs and the Department of Public Education Dept. Head, Mr. Daison Marks, received the products on behalf of their respective organizations. Each School Board is responsible for ensuring that all schools, under their charge, receive the necessary products. 

Concerns

The initiative came about due to the concerns raised by Teen Times on the issue of Period Poverty, which was introduced in Parliament earlier this year, drawing attention to the importance of a Period Products Legislation and the stigma associated with period poverty. Period Poverty is defined as the struggle or inability to access menstrual products due to financial constraints.