How 'The Period Uniform' Fights Schoolroom Stigma in Colombia

Inside Serviceplan's Grand Clio-winning initiative

At last night’s Clio Health Awards, we saw numerous campaigns that address social wellness in sharp strokes, striving to improve the daily existence of various groups in creative, actionable ways.

Several of these prize-winning efforts focus on menstruation, which, in some societies around the world, can still cause consternation, stigma and shame. For example, Kotex’s dramatic “Own Your Flow” encourages women and girls to embrace their journeys and keep pushing toward the prize.

“The Period Uniform” from intimate care brand Somos Martina—which won a Grand Clio for excellence in creative strategy—offers the same message, but adds something extra: a novel component to fight absenteeism among schoolgirls.

In Colombia, 25 percent of girls skip class once their periods arrive. Somos and Serviceplan Germany hit on the notion of leveraging school uniforms to reverse that trend.

Such garments are required across Colombia, with checklists that include socks, gym shoes and the like. So, the campaign urges schools to add period-absorbent underwear to their lists for female students.

“We were initially very anxious about the initiative’s reception, whether schools would participate willingly or if we would need to convince them one by one” given Colombia’s conservative mindset, Serviceplan senior copywriter Babi Puttini tells Muse.

She credits this stirring short film, directed by Claudia Barra Magazl, and outreach by NGO Poderosas with helping the outreach succeed:

“The schools were almost instantly on board, as they witness the daily impact of absences caused by a lack of period products and are desperate to fulfill their duty as educators,” Puttini says.

“Having the prominent expert Dr. Laura Gil involved also helped. Furthermore, some teachers were already familiar with Somos Martina due to the company’s history of sustainable CSR initiatives. From that point, implementation was purely a logistical process.”

Since its launch a few months back, the program has been implemented by schools including I.E. Mayor de Mosquera, I.E. Técnica Juan Manuel Rudas and I.E. Luis Carlos Galan Sarmiento.

What’s more, “The process to turn the initiative into a national mandate has begun,” backed by the Colombia’s vice minister of Education Lucy Maritza Molina Acosta, Puttini says.