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Haz click aquí para leer esta historia en español. On January 15, le Planning Familial, IPPF’s affiliate in Guadeloupe, inaugurated the first solidarity shop dedicated to menstrual health and the care of women and infants in Pointe-à-Pitre. The opening of this space responds to an increasingly visible reality: the rise of menstrual poverty and the barriers that women and young people face in accessing basic hygiene products. In recent years, Planning’s social workers have observed a steady increase in needs related not only to menstrual health, but also to access to essential items for personal care and infant wellbeing. “Women are gradually breaking the taboo surrounding menstruation and denouncing the social, economic, health, and personal challenges linked to menstrual poverty,” said Carol Borel, Director of the Planning Familial de Guadeloupe. “When a woman has to choose between buying menstrual products and meeting other basic needs, she is putting her health at risk.” Located at the Rago Family Planning Centre, the shop aims to provide a concrete and sustainable response over time. There, users will be able to access a wide range of menstrual hygiene products at reduced prices, within a safe and trusted environment that is already part of their regular visits for medical check-ups, screenings, or sexual and reproductive health counselling. The space will also be open to students and young women, who often face tight budgets and must prioritize daily expenses. The initiative was born precisely from listening to these needs, with the goal of offering not temporary solutions, but ongoing support that contributes to ensuring dignity and wellbeing. With this opening, the Planning Familial de Guadeloupe reaffirms its commitment to equitable access to health and to the comprehensive support of women and people with the capacity to gestate, promoting community-based responses to structural inequalities that continue to limit the full exercise of their rights.