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ActionAid are one of Latitude Festival’s charity partners and were in attendance for the third time this year.

We spoke to Jessica Holland about the work the charity is currently doing in Africa – in particular busting myths and taboos and giving support and education to women and girls facing the challenge of menstruation.

Why are we talking about periods at Latitude?

Having your period at a festival can be a real challenge, when clean loos and sanitary items are hard to come by.

Millions of women and girls around the world face these challenges on a monthly basis – no sanitary products, no proper toilets, no clean water.

Apart from the discomfort, lack of access to toilets and sanitary items also leads to gender discrimination: in Africa, one in ten girls misses school when they have their period. This has a huge knock-on effect on girls’ education and often leads to them dropping out, reducing their chances of being able to support themselves later on in life.

Despite menstruation being completely natural, damaging myths about periods and a culture of shame continue to hold women and girls back.

You can find out more about ActionAid on their official website.