A period drama

The Procter and Gamble latest marketing campaigns to “use your period for good” and “have a happy period” has caused an eruption from women around the world, even described at “outright insulting”.

There have been numerous comments on these advertisements, including an article from The Red Tent Sisters (Canadian women dedicated to reproductive and sexual health needs of women) who comment:

I don’t have a problem with education and hopefully increasing openness about women’s reproductive and sexual health but I do have concerns about mainstream menstrual product companies doing it! First of all I’m not so sure that the job they’ve done in North America has been so stellar that they should be the ones running the education programs in Africa.

Understanding a campaign such as this is essential before writing emotional comments. P&G clearly states that it is not the driving force of the campaign, but rather it is helping to fund a United Nations Campaign called HERO.

HERO: A UNA-USA Campaign, in partnership with The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), is an awareness building and fund raising initiative dedicated to providing comprehensive, school-based support to orphans and vulnerable children living in HIV/AIDS-affected communities in Africa.

The HERO Campaign has many partners, including UNICEF, UNESCO and CARE International, that implement the project in target countries. The project includes the following chapters:

• Feeding
• Water and Sanitation
• Intrastruture
• Crisis Support
• Capacity Building
• Psycho-Social Support
• School Resources and Health

The HERO Campaign publicly shows its appreciation to the P&G partnership.

Hero is proud to announce the launch of the Protecting Futures Program. HERO in partnership with Procter and Gamble’s FemCare brands Tampax and Always have developed the Protecting Futures Program to help keep African girls in school.

P&G has donated UD$1.4 million to the project. Although all aid organizations have their problems, and many are subject to strong criticism, I don’t we can argue that the people involved in HERO have exceptional experience in making difficult lives a little bit easier.

The outrage projected towards P&G is misplaced. I do not support global conglomerates, but I will be buying Always and Tampax (above the Wal-mart sweatshop brands) and I urge you to do the same. After all, its about raising money for organizations that really help.

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