Digicel Foundation Tackles Period Poverty

Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago – 26 JUNE 2026: For many women and girls, access to menstrual hygiene products remains a significant challenge. With the lifetime cost of sanitary products estimated at over TT$125,000 per woman, Digicel Trinidad and Tobago employees came together to help ease that burden through the company's annual Menstrual Hygiene Staff Donation Drive held throughout May.

Led by the Digicel Foundation, staff donated sanitary pads and other essential hygiene items, which will be distributed to students of the Tobago School for the Deaf, Speech and Language Impaired. The staff initiative reflects Digicel's commitment to helping girls overcome barriers that can affect their education and well-being.

It’s been estimated that on a worldwide basis, 1 in 4 teens and 1 in 3 adults who menstruate, roughly 500 million people, lack adequate access to menstrual products, clean sanitation facilities, or proper education about menstrual health. In Trinidad and Tobago, a 2022 study spearheaded by the NGO Crown Her found that period poverty impacts many women locally; more than half of the women revealed that at some point in time they had to resort to using either toilet paper or napkins in place of sanitary supplies because of the exorbitant cost of period products.

Beyond providing practical support, the Digicel staff drive also raised awareness about menstrual health and encouraged more open conversations and breaking taboos. The Digicel Foundation continues to champion equity, dignity and opportunity, helping to ensure that no girl is disadvantaged because she lacks access to basic hygiene products.