Rue 🇵🇸🇸🇩🇨🇩

ALT Text: In many recovery efforts and humanitarian initiatives, the essential needs of women and girls are often overlooked, including menstrual health. This negligence stems from the misconception that it is a secondary concern compared to more immediate needs. Over 690,000 menstruating women and girls having limited access to menstrual hygiene products in addition to inadequate water, hygiene, and privacy. These conditions are not only unsanitary but also humiliating and degrading.

ALT Text: "I cut up my kid's clothes or any piece of cloth I find, I use them like sanitary towels for my period" - Hala Ataya "There is no privacy, the bathrooms do not have running water, and we cannot go outside easily to look for what we need" - Ruba Seif "There's no security, no food, no water, no hygiene. I am ashamed, I feel humiliated" - Samar Shalhoub "In war, we are forced to everything we can. there is never a choice" - Salma "Palestinian women are forced to take menstruation-delaying pills due to the dire circumstances they have been forced into"

ALT Text: Palestinian women are forced to take menstruation-delaying pills due to the dire circumstances they have been forced into. these pills have complex side effects such as irregular vaginal bleeding, nausea, changes to the menstrual cycle, dizziness, and mood swings. Most Gazan women, however, have no choice. There is absolutely no privacy for these women, and they are forced to queue up in lines, using shared bathrooms with unhygienic conditions.

ALT Text: According to Nevin Adan, a psychologist and social worker based in Gaza, the psychological and physical symptoms before and during the menstrual cycle can deteriorate due to the ongoing war. Recent UN Women reports show that over 1 million women and girls are displaced in Palestine, which Adnan affirms is a direct cause of extreme stress on the woman's body and her hormones.

ALT Text: Access to menstrual care, with privacy and dignity, is not a luxury but a basic necessity. Periods don't stop when war starts.

ALT Text: "I cannot bear the menstrual cramps on top of the intense fear we experience constantly, the lack of sleep, and the cold since there aren't enough blankets" says Ruba Seif, a 35-year-old staying at a shelter with her family.

ALT Text: In light of the ongoing situation, Poltics4Her is raising funds for Anera, an organization that has worked on the ground in Gaza for over 50 years. Funds will allow for the purchase and distribution of pads and hygiene supplies for women and girls in Gaza. https://support.anera.org/a/pads-4-gaza