Red Run 5K: HerFlow taking major strides to end period poverty
Published:Wednesday | May 21, 2025 | 12:08 AMKrysta Anderson/Staff Reporter
Academy Award-winning film producer, Melissa Berton, said it best when she proclaimed, “A period should end a sentence, not a girl’s education”. With so many girls and women alike being impacted by period poverty, HerFlow Foundation has doubled its efforts to fight for the cause by hosting its Red Run 5K on Sunday, May 25.
“We had done a 5K run once back in 2018 with approximately 100 people. But it wasn’t a fundraiser. This time around, I want to establish the event on the calendar so that the runners could add it to the official yearly line-up,” the foundation’s executive director, Shelly-Ann Weeks, explained to Lifestyle, speaking of the desire to capitalise on the interest in 5Ks and donating to the foundation.
“People are interested in 5K runs for health purposes, so it’s easy for them to just manage, calculate, participate and support. The Ministry of Health has confirmed its participation, which is a big deal because this is the first time we’re partnering with the ministry on anything having to do with period poverty,” said Weeks.
Planning this run, she says, is not child’s play. It takes having strong management skills. But it will all be worth it when attendees gather at the Hope Botanical Gardens this Sunday. “We’re staying inside of Hope Gardens. We’re not leaving the property at all. Warm-up starts at 6 a.m., with the run commencing at 7. We are particularly excited to be including children in the mix,” she said.
Weeks found that after having conversations with teachers and guidance counsellors, children who come from the inner city and rural communities are rarely given the opportunity to explore nature in a fulfilling manner. “These children literally go to school and go home. They don’t get a chance to just play and be active. And we really want to have that element there for them. So we are in touch with some rural schools and some inner city schools, and we’re going to facilitate bringing them in,” she said.
Some of the event’s sponsors, such as the Digicel Foundation and National Baking Company, have already done due diligence by paying for students to participate. Luxury fashion brand, Bresheh, has also jumped on board to pay for children coming in from St Thomas.
“I want the children to just come and play and wear themselves out. I’m sure their parents will be happy for that too, because a tired child is a quiet child. Each child that comes is going to get a goodie bag with some snacks. And of course, the little girls will get their menstrual kits,” she added.
At every turn, HerFlow would like to ensure that the children are being taken care of, where period poverty is concerned. “And because we know where these children are coming from, we want to ensure that they’re prepared. So we’re going to make sure that they get a kit when they come as well,” Weeks revealed.
Noting that there will be professional runners in the space, she welcomes the FitBit experts who are looking to clock their best times. But there are also period games in store, “We just want to have a space where people can just come and do something good for their bodies, their souls and help a good cause. The space will also facilitate questions. If people don’t know, they can’t help. And if they don’t understand the problem, they’re not going to be inclined to want to fix it.”
One ticket purchase can supply one girl with menstrual products for six months, “and we are committed to making sure that we get to the point where girls can stay in school during their periods, instead of stopping because they don’t have any menstrual products,” said Weeks.
And while all of the proceeds from the ticket sales will be going directly towards continuing the fight to end period poverty, the advocate is encouraging participants to make an additional yet necessary contribution of walking with sanitary napkins to donate as well, “Bring a pack of pads or tampons or whatever it is when they come on the day so we can continue our drive to end period poverty.”
She continues, “Inflation impacts menstrual products too. So it is really important that we amplify the message and let people understand that not only are Jamaicans experiencing period poverty, it’s more Jamaicans than you think. There are a lot of women right now, as we speak, who are using tissue for menstrual pads because they never had the money to buy them this week,” Weeks disclosed.
Weeks hopes that this partnership with the Ministry of Health and Wellness is the beginning of a meaningful partnership. “We intersect in a lot of spaces. Period health is a major part of reproductive health.”