Globally, 500 million people are affected by period poverty.

To senior Celia Brown, this issue is heartbreaking, and it induced her to create The Disco Club, a non-profit store that sells hand-painted disco balls as decor.

Brown recently started her passion project last summer. “I started The Disco Club through Instagram and a Squarespace account for my sales. Before I created the account, I painted ~10 disco balls and photographed them with my friends to create some content.”

100 percent of the club’s profits go to The Cova Project.

The Cova Project is an organization that strives to limit period poverty and help women across the world. Currently, they mainly work in Sub-Saharan Africa, where period poverty remains high.

“I wanted to focus on women’s accessibility to period products because it isn’t talked about enough. In America, there is some talk about women’s access to period products, such as fighting against the pink tax on period products. Sometimes I forget that some women don’t even have access to products at all in different countries. Therefore, I thought choosing them at the organization could help raise a little more awareness,” expressed Brown.

Period poverty does not stop at just affecting women’s sanitary needs but rather extends throughout their lives. Lack of sanitary products leads to missing school, dropping out and in turn, lack of stable jobs.

By limiting the domino effect of period poverty, The Cova Project hopes to raise the standards of living for women.

Brown knew she wanted to support a non-profit organization that helped women across the world. “I chose the Cova Project because I wanted to know exactly what my donations were being used for. The Cova Project is very clear that every $7 gives 10 menstrual cups to girls in need, so I knew that my donations could make a direct impact!” Brown said.

One of the Cova Project focuses is in South Africa, where up to 7 million girls do not have access to or are unable to afford sanitary products.

PV graduate Quinn Russell purchased a Disco to support an important cause. “I knew I wanted to support The Cova Project through her. It was important for me too, because every woman deserves period products and the education used to keep your body safe.”

While The Cova Project assists women in Africa, period poverty isn’t exclusive to developing countries. 42 percent of menstruators in the US have experienced struggles with affording period products. The high cost of products, lack of free products in school bathrooms and the Pink Tax all affect women’s right to basic healthcare needs.

Throughout the journey of making The Disco Club, Brown has enjoyed the process while encountering a few issues. “Along the way, I have had challenges with my website and its payment system because I technically cannot receive money through Squarespace until I turn 18. So, I started taking payments through Venmo! Overall, it’s been a pretty seamless process,” explained Brown.

“I absolutely loved the piece of art I received. Celia is a phenomenal artist and the way she put detail into the piece is gorgeous,” expressed Russell.

Millions of women are restricted each month due to lack of access to supplies, but purchasing just one disco from The Disco Club ensures that 11 girls gain lifelong access to sanitary supplies.

This story was originally published on Spartan Shield on September 26, 2023.