KAO Laurier Malaysia, supported by the Ministry of Higher Education, and in collaboration with MyPerintis and generous Malaysians, raised RM150,000 worth of sanitary napkins to benefit 20,000 B40 students in 20 public universities across Malaysia. The effort was coordinated through the three-month-long ‘Kebersihan Menstruasi Adalah Hak Wanita’ (Menstrual Hygiene is a Woman’s Right) campaign initiated in November 2021, which culminated in an official handover ceremony at Universiti Malaya.
“The synergy between KAO Laurier, MOHE and MyPerintis has been essential in realising the campaign’s vision to address any lack in access to menstrual hygiene essentials faced by young women in universities. We are encouraged to see Malaysians from all walks of life come forward, sharing our ‘Kirei’ vision to make life beautiful for all, by contributing through this campaign, effectively empowering underprivileged students to achieve their full potential as productive members of society,” said KAO Malaysia President, Mr Itou Hirofumi.
Globally, sustainability is a crucial aspect of organisations and their operations, contributing towards realising the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Ensuring access to menstrual hygiene care essentials holds a multiplier effect which connects strongly to the SDGs, including SDG 1 (no poverty), SDG 3 (good health and well-being), SDG 4 (quality education), SDG 5 (gender equality), and SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation).
“Access to feminine hygiene products is a basic necessity. B40 female university students are suffering in silence due to period poverty. So this is a wonderful initiative by KAO Laurier and MyPerintis to educate the community and highlight the feminine hygiene needs of girls and women from B40 households. Anyone and everyone can play a part in eradicating period poverty. We hope that by working together, we will see an end to period poverty,” Universiti Malaya Students’ Union representative, Hema Shankari Kalidasan, remarked about on the campaign’s impact.
EMIR Research, Research Analyst, Amanda Yeo, moderated a discussion on the industry and public’s ability to empower positive change around period poverty following the handover ceremony. Panel members comprising KAO (Malaysia) Marketing Vice President, Tan Poh Ling; MyPerintis Founding Chairman, Dato’ Lawrence Low, and Laurier Night Safe Brand Ambassador, Sweet Qismina, weighed in on the trickle-down effect of the pandemic on the B40 community.
The discussion revealed loss of employment or reduced income in a B40 household forces families to prioritise putting food on the table, often causing feminine hygiene essentials to be pushed to the bottom of the list.
Engagements between social advocates with B40 communities on the ground throughout the campaign period revealed the financial distress in these households had led some women to use unsafe alternatives such as toilet paper, rags and even newspapers to manage the menstruation process. In certain extreme cases, young girls skip school, causing them to miss out on their education, eventually lowering their chances of securing a stable job in the future.
Acknowledging the magnitude of the issue, the panel concurred that addressing the root cause of the issue is a shared responsibility between government agencies, private industry players, social advocates and community members.
The official handover of RM150,000 in sanitary napkins was presented by KAO Malaysia President, Itou Hirofumi, and received by Universiti Malaya Students’ Union representative, Hema Shankari Kalidasan. The exchange was witnessed by MyPerintis Founding Chairman, Dato’ Lawrence Low, Laurier Night Safe Brand Ambassador, Sweet Qismina and student leaders from beneficiary public institutions of higher learning.
KAO Laurier Malaysia mooted the “Kebersihan Menstruasi Adalah Hak Wanita” campaign to fulfil the hygiene care needs of university students from the B40 community. Additionally, the movement hopes to ensure that young women will never have to skip class or miss activities on the account of not being able to afford sanitary products.
KAO Laurier Malaysia pledged to donate a pack of its Laurier Night Safe range for every pack purchased by consumers between 15 November 2021 to 31 January 2022, resulting in the accumulation of sanitary products valued at RM150,000 to empower 20,000 young women in over 20 public universities across Malaysia.
Through its long-term Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) programme, KAO Laurier Malaysia has been a friend to young girls for past 27 years since 1994, with efforts dedicated at supporting and educating young girls in hygiene care. To date, KAO Laurier Malaysia has touched the lives of over 2 million students, from over 8,000 schools through the programme. Its latest movement is an extension of its 27-year ESG programme with primary and secondary schools, now evolving into an area of need in higher education institutions across Malaysia.
More on the “Kebersihan Menstruasi Adalah Hak Wanita” campaign wrap-up, follow @KaoLaurier on Facebook and @lauriermy on Instagram
