Chez Smith, is the founder of the Gyrls in the H.O.O.D. (Healthy Optimistic Outstanding Determined) Foundation, which addresses “period poverty” which is the lack of feminine hygiene products that affects millions of females worldwide. Recently, she opened a Reproductive Health Services Center in Chicago, Illinois to support “gyrls” on their journey to becoming empowered women capable of making informed choices.
The center will serve Black and brown girls in the Greater Grand Crossing neighborhood in the city’s South Side with support from Chicago Beyond, which invests in organizations, community leaders, and equitable research opportunities that are positioned to change the lives of young people in Chicago. The center will provide menstrual hygiene management, reproductive and sexual health education, and social services through the organization’s existing programs. It will also be used to deliver job training workshops, college prep events, teen parent support, and more to the community.
According to the University of Pennsylvania, every month, one in five girls on their periods will miss school due to a lack of feminine hygiene products. According to the World Bank, “period poverty” affects more than 500 million females around the world.
For adolescent girls living in poverty, lacking basic feminine hygiene supplies can have a significant impact on their education, health, and dignity.
