Students at Nara Prefectural International High School have noticed the difficulty of borrowing sanitary napkins from the nurse's office and have started an initiative to permanently provide sanitary products on campus. Red Box Japan is supporting this project by providing sanitary products to help students who are anxious about their periods feel a little more at ease during their school life.

■ Project background and objectives

I wondered about the inconvenience and psychological hurdles involved in "borrowing sanitary napkins from the nurse's office."
So, we conducted a survey of female students in the same grade, and received the following feedback:

・The nurse's office is far away, so if I go to get a napkin and then go back to the bathroom, I'll be late for class. ・I feel embarrassed to explain to the teacher when I'm late for class.

Next, we conducted a survey asking, "Would it be helpful if there was a napkin box in the bathroom?" and approximately 80% answered "Yes."

In order to solve these issues and create a school where everyone can feel safe during their period, the students decided to put into practice the idea of ​​making sanitary napkins available in the toilets.

■ Student-led action: From research to installation

The students carried out the following steps:

1. Survey on the disadvantages of borrowing sanitary napkins from the nurse's office
   
2. Survey of all grades on "Would it be helpful if there were napkins in the toilet?" (Approximately 80% answered "Yes")
   
3. Research how to source sanitary napkins and find organizations that donate them
   
4. Discover Red Box Japan's activities, contact us, and make donations
   
5. Based on the donated napkins, the number of boxes to be installed in each restroom is determined and purchased.
   

▲Poster created by students from Nara Prefectural International High School

■ Future challenges and prospects

While providing sanitary products is a great relief for students, there are concerns that providing sanitary napkins for free may lead to students deliberately not bringing any or taking home more than they need, and the school is currently considering how to operate the system in the future. Going forward, the school plans to continue making improvements while monitoring the situation after installation.

Additionally, while the provision of napkins this time was made possible through support from Red Box Japan, the company hopes to work on creating sustainable systems in the future, such as through crowdfunding and collaboration with local communities.

By listening to students' voices, taking action, and thinking up new systems, students can transform their schools into better places. Red Box Japan will continue to support such proactive initiatives.

For inquiries about introducing sanitary products to schools, please click here.

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