VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - A Virginia Beach Girl Scout Ambassador has won the highest honor in the organization!
Victoria Martin is a senior at Princess Anne High School and she won the Gold Award for her project titled, “Battling Period Poverty." It is focused on the accessibility of feminine hygiene products and the sustainability of those products on the environment.
Period poverty and sustainability is an issue that affects girls and women of all ages around the world, the Girl Scouts press release said. “All around my community, my country, and my planet, there are women who suffer from period poverty,” Victoria said. “Many women and young girls can not attend school or work because they cannot afford menstrual products.”
Victoria's project talks about the luxury tax on feminine hygiene care and the tough decisions that some make to afford the necessities, like choosing between food and hygiene products. To tackle these issues, Victoria enlisted a team of volunteers from her church that created and distributed sustainable and reusable sanitary pads and care instructions to women in her community.
Victoria’s design is machine and hand washable and can be used for years and years with proper care. To make a larger impact, Victoria created a website with a PDF template of her sanitary pad design with how-to video instructions for others to use! The volunteer team sewed over 150 cloth pads that were used in 20 kits for women and girls that will last them indefinitely, the Girl Scouts said.
Click here to view Victoria’s website to see more information about her mission and how-to instructions for those interested in recreating her design.
