Have you ever wondered when humans first started getting periods?

It's surprisingly difficult to get a concrete answer, but menstruation is believed to have first developed in the anthropoid primate (our common ancestor with monkeys and apes) over 40 million years ago. So, humans started getting periods before we were even fully evolved as humans.

And yet, here we are 40 million years later and — despite periods being an entirely natural, entirely normal part of human life — people are still having to fight for menstrual dignity, health, and education.

That's because of barriers like period poverty (not being able to access the period products, education, facilities, and waste management needed to safely manage a period); a lack of menstrual education; and myths and taboos that leave menstruators stigmatized in society.

In fact, there are at least 500 million women and girls globally who don't have access to the proper facilies they need to hygienically and safely manage their periods.

Thankfully, there are also champions fighting this injustice. We caught up with the phenomenal team behind Qrate, a South African-based organisation that's on a mission to combat period poverty and tackle menstrual injustice.

They largely do this by focusing on making sure young people get the information and education they need to understand their periods and period poverty, through hosting workshops and seminars at schools across South Africa. The idea is to equip young people with the tools and knowledge they need to navigate societal injustices, like period poverty, and make meaningful impact within their communities.

Read the full article about period poverty by Tsholofelo Lehaha at Global Citizen.