#OkresoweABC in numbers:
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Over 200,000 children reached,
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More than 1,000 hours of sessions,
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500 primary and secondary schools across Poland.
We are tackling period poverty in schools.
Thanks to the Ministry’s pilot program, for which we allocated PLN 4,400,000, we have provided access to menstrual hygiene products and information in 1,100 schools — far exceeding the original assumptions, as noted by Deputy Minister of Education Paulina Piechna-Więckiewicz.
One in four girls has missed school classes due to lack of access to menstrual products.
76% of students admitted that they try to hide their menstrual products on the way to the restroom, and one in five has witnessed or heard about situations where someone was treated badly because of menstruation (jokes, unpleasant comments).
These figures* illustrate the menstrual awareness crisis we faced prior to the launch of the Ministry of Education’s program.
At Kulczyk Foundation, we have long been working to provide menstrual products to women and girls who cannot afford them, while also openly engaging in dialogue on women's health issues.
The systemic introduction of free menstrual products in schools remains one of the Foundation’s key objectives. We continue to advocate for universal education on the subject and for raising awareness about period poverty — an issue often mistakenly associated only with distant countries. In reality, one in five female students in Poland has missed school due to lack of sanitary pads.**
"Last week, I spoke about period poverty at the European Parliament. The idea was raised to conduct such a pilot program on an EU-wide scale. It’s hard to imagine that today, in Poland, in the center of Europe, girls are still missing classes because they don’t have access to sanitary pads. This is not only a matter of dignity, but also of equal access to education. Missing school on a monthly basis affects academic progress, exam performance, and future job opportunities," said Dominika Kulczyk, Founder of Kulczyk Foundation, adding:
"No teenage girl should have to choose between a sandwich and a sanitary pad. Periods are part of our nature — so let’s start acting naturally about it."
Over 40% of girls admit that menstruation is not discussed at home, so it’s no surprise that one in three girls is unprepared for her first period. Many parents lack the proper tools or models to have conversations about puberty, and many still perceive the topic as shameful. That’s why schools are a crucial space to bridge this gap and break the generational taboo, ensuring today’s children grow up into informed and open-minded adults.
In addition to providing menstrual products to schools, the educational component was a key part of the pilot.
Awareness, myth-busting, and biological knowledge are fundamental to normalizing the topic of menstruation.
As part of the program, after an informational meeting for the entire school community (including parents and faculty), optional workshops were held for interested students, led by educators from the Różowa Skrzyneczka Foundation and Good Life Psychological Center.
These sessions covered basic information about menstruation, debunking myths, and providing facts.
Later, in girls-only groups, in-depth workshops were conducted on the female cycle. Throughout the meetings, participants could freely ask questions, share observations, or discuss personal experiences.
"I was very positively surprised by how open the girls were and how engaged the boys became. The girls also shared that 'tamponetki save their lives' because many have irregular or unexpectedly heavy periods, and in such situations, they can quickly access sanitary pads available in the school bathrooms," shared one of the 64 educators who traveled across Poland.
Over six months, these meetings reached thousands of young people, helping them become more aware of their bodies. A generation is growing up for whom menstruation is no longer taboo — because it’s a natural part of women’s lives.
Biology, not a choice.
Menstrual Hygiene Day
The timing of the conference, held on May 27, 2025, at Primary School No. 72 in Warsaw, was no coincidence.
Menstrual Hygiene Day is celebrated globally on May 28. The date reflects the average length of a menstrual cycle (28 days, with 5 days of menstruation). The purpose of this day is to normalize conversations about menstruation — particularly in the context of access to menstrual products in public institutions and workplaces.
As Kulczyk Foundation, we run the #okresrównoważny (Sustainable Period) campaign, which this year carries the message:
“Period? It’s natural!”
Many companies participating in the free Cykl Kariery (Career Cycle) program (www.cyklkariery.pl) have also joined this initiative.
We would like to thank everyone who attended today’s event, as well as those who contributed to organizing this important initiative but could not be with us in person. It’s an important day!
More information about the initiative is available at: www.okresoweabc.pl
*First wave of the evaluation study within the Okresowe ABC program, conducted prior to the pilot launch. Sample size: N=2512, CAWI, conducted by Difference for Kulczyk Foundation.
**Data from Kulczyk Foundation report on perceptions of menstruation in Poland – https://kulczykfoundation.org.pl/.../0fbe618f4aa748170c8b...
#MHday #MHday2025 #CyklKariery #worklifeperiod #genderequality #workplacebalance #PeriodFriendlyPoland #PeriodFriendlyWorld #MenstruationIsNatural**
