BOGOTÁ, COLOMBIA — Inspired by the back-to-school season across different regions and by a challenge that affects young girls around the world, Somos Martina, a leading Colombian company in sustainable intimate care, is launching a campaign designed to naturally and affordably integrate menstrual care into school uniforms, which are mandatory in many countries. Created in partnership with Serviceplan Innovation, The Period Uniform project aims to address a recurring behavior: girls who lack access to menstrual products and, out of fear or shame, miss school during a critical stage of their education.
According to UN Women, 1 in 4 girls in Latin America regularly misses school during their period for this reason, with similar figures reported in the United States. In the United Kingdom, the same happens to 3 in 10 girls, and more than half of them resort to using toilet paper as an alternative. Without proper protection, many stay away from school to avoid leaks and the embarrassment associated with them. When recurrent, this absence directly affects education and future opportunities.
“It is a serious problem for us when girls stay home because they fear leaks or cannot afford pads. Our responsibility is to ensure that no student is left behind. By incorporating menstrual care into the school uniform, we fulfill our commitment to equal education,” says Jhoana Rincón M., a teacher at Institución Educativa Mayor de Mosquera, the first school in the metropolitan region of Bogotá to officially adopt The Period Uniform.
A fundamentally different approach
The project, which already has the support of Lucy Maritza Molina Acosta, Vice Minister of Education of Colombia, builds on the existing school uniform system, making menstrual care naturally accessible. Rather than distributing products through temporary, localized programs that require separate logistics, the model leverages the established school uniform infrastructure to deliver a scalable and sustainable solution.
Among its four core goals, The Period Uniform seeks to: normalize menstrual protection by making it the standard; eliminate stigma by removing the burden from girls to initiate the conversation, as schools communicate the requirement directly to families; operate at scale by relying on existing uniform infrastructure and processes, which can be adopted by any institution without additional effort; and reduce costs, as period underwear is more affordable over time than disposable menstrual products. As part of the initiative, SomosMartina provides period underwear to participating schools at a price comparable to conventional underwear, along with access to educational content and resources on menstrual care.
To spark public debate, encourage government adoption of the model and promote a global-scale conversation, Somos Martina has launched a global awareness campaign not only in Colombia, but also in other countries. It includes a dedicated website with information available in multiple languages, an editorial article by The New York Times contributing journalist María F. Fitzgerald, and a short film directed by award-winning filmmaker Claudia Barral, produced by Demente, portraying the reality faced by students during menstruation.
“This initiative is deeply rooted in our mission to fight for menstrual justice. Supporting girls during their first period allows us to build trust and lifelong relationships. We believe period underwear is the best option toreconnect with our bodies while caring for the environment. I hope it becomes the standard for all women,” says Patricia Franco Reyes, CMO of Somos Martina.
