For ALL Women and Girls: Marija Kamcheva on ending period poverty and ensuring no girl is left behind

#ForAllWomenAndGirls is a rallying call for action on the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. Among those answering that call is 35-year-old Marija Kamcheva, a strong advocate for ending menstrual poverty. As the coordinator for Equal Opportunities in the Municipality of Kavadarci, Kamcheva advances and helps implement policies that promote gender equality and inclusion at the local level.

Seeing how many girls were missing school because they couldn’t afford basic menstrual products and how often women sought financial assistance for urgent uterine-health needs, she launched a local initiative to end period poverty. Thanks to her advocacy and leadership, Marija Kamcheva and the Municipality of Kavadarci received support through the project “Promoting Gender Responsive Policies and Budgets: Towards Transparent, Inclusive and Accountable Governance in the Republic of North Macedonia – Phase 2” project, funded by Switzerland, and the programme “Promoting Gender Responsive Governance in the Republic of North Macedonia,” funded by Sweden.

During her daily work and interactions with community members, Kamcheva has seen firsthand how menstrual stigma and poverty quietly affect girls’ education in the Kavadarci municipality. Many girls, especially those from socially vulnerable families, used to miss school during their periods because they could not afford sanitary products.

“Some told me they stayed home out of fear of embarrassment or bullying. I knew that feeling well; I also remember the stigma of going to school during my period. Later, I often saw women applying for financial support for uterine cancer treatment. Both experiences reminded me that women’s health needs to be prioritized from the earliest age.”

When she first proposed providing free menstrual products in schools, she was surprised that some of her female colleagues dismissed the issue as “non-priority.” “That was disappointing. But I believed strongly that menstrual dignity is not a luxury, it is a right,” she recalls. 

She then spoke directly with the mayor, the municipal secretary, and the head of finance, explaining the impact such a measure could have on girls’ education. Kamcheva also organized awareness sessions, inviting teachers and parents to join. Slowly, the silence started to break.

“Including the measure in our municipal Gender Equality Strategy gave it even more weight,” she says.

The turning point came through partnerships with UN Women, civil society actors, and the private sector, called “Period. The Menstrual Movement Skopje.” “Together, we organized educational sessions and distributed menstrual pads in schools to mark International Menstrual Hygiene Day and openly discuss period poverty within the community,” says Kamcheva.

Soon after, a pilot programme was launched in high schools, combining private sector donations with municipal funds. The head of the education sector later recommended that schools plan their own budgets for menstrual products.

“The difference is already visible. Girls are attending classes more regularly and feel more confident at school. Stigma is giving way to open conversations among students, teachers, and parents. For me, this is a personal victory, for justice, for dignity, and for every girl who once felt invisible because of something natural.”

Marija Kamcheva is now working to expand the programme into primary schools and rural areas. “My message to others is clear: don’t wait. Municipalities are closest to the people. And menstrual dignity should never be an afterthought. It is a right.”