Monarègles
(formerly Red Box Project Monaco)
What is Monarègles?
Monarègles is a community-based, not-for-profit initiative, which aims to support young people throughout their periods by providing free period products to local schools and encouraging more information about periods, while distributing First Period Kits to students.
Monarègles also has a series of corporate partners in Monaco, who provide free organic period products to their team members.
Our aim is to make Monaco the first period equal country in the world, join us in our mission!
Some of the facts
1
In some countries women and young girls who menstruate are ostracised from basic activities, such as eating certain foods or socialising. (Global Citizen)
2
Cultural shame attached to menstruation and a shortage of resources stop women/girls/menstruating individuals from going to school and working every day. (Global Citizen)
3
In in the UK, 1/10 girls (1/7 in London) cannot afford period products. (Plan International UK)
4
Thanks to SheCanHeCan, four schools in Monaco provide free period products for their students: The International School of Monaco, FANB, Charles III and Lycée Albert 1er. (SheCanHeCan, as of Oct. 2024).
MONAREGLES (formerly the Red Box Project Monaco)
In 2019, SheCanHeCan (SCHC) launched the Red Box Project Monaco, working in close collaboration with the International School of Monaco (ISM) who was the first school to provide free organic period products to their students. Alongside providing such products, SheCanHeCan also conducted workshops about periods, encouraging all students to speak about periods more openly. SCHC also appointed Student Ambassadors within the schools who were in charge of restocking products, all communication and hosting workshops.
In 2021, SCHC created and published a guide called "Everything you need to know about periods" aimed at young girls starting their periods. It informs and encourages healthy discussions on the topic. SCHC is hosting regular workshops in local schools across Monaco and is working hard to bringing period equality to Monaco!
In 2022, SCHC launched Monarègles which aims to extend the Red Box Project Monaco by also encouraging companies and institutions to provide free period products to their team members and give back to society. The Columbus Hotel in Monaco became the first hotel to provide free period products to their teams and we are working with a variety of partners to bring eco period products to workplaces across Monaco.
Our current partners include: Le Centre Hospitalier Princesse Grace (CHPG), La Societé des Bains de Mer, SBM Offshore and The Columbus Hotel.
Schools providing period products via Monarègles include: FANB (Monaco), Lycée Albert 1er (Monaco), Collège Charles III, The International School of Monaco and Aiglon College, Switzerland.
Want to sign up or simply learn more about Monarègles? Get in touch with us!
Images: @theredboxprojectuk, Collège FANB, and Monarègles First Period Kit
Where can I learn more?
Watch Vibeke Thomsen, Director of SheCanHeCan, interview to mark the International Day for Menstrual Health. She talks about Monarègles, how to break the taboos around periods, how to support young people on their periods and so much more!
How are we tackling period inequality/poverty in Monaco?
EDUCATION
LISTENING
ACTION
SheCanHeCan Student Ambassadors Program
Monarègles is also run with the help and support of Student Ambassadors in the local schools of Monaco. Together, we educate students and the Monaco community about period poverty/inequality, finding ways to listen to the questions and concerns of individuals who may be experiencing period poverty and inequality and, through fundraising providing free period products in all the girls' bathrooms with a vision to also donate boxes of period products to other schools and to women's refugee centres.
Our vision is to create a country free from period inequality and to use our position to help eliminate period poverty and inequality in the neighbouring communities and countries (France and Italy).
--> WANT TO BECOME A STUDENT AMBASSADOR?
To find out more or to make a donation to this project, please contact us at info@shecanhecan.org
You can also contact us on Instagram @shecan_hecan or @monaregles to learn more and support this fantastic community led project.
How did it all begin?
The Red Box Project was founded in March 2017 by three friends who wanted to give young people in their local area access to menstrual products. After reading about ‘Period Poverty‘ in the news, they were angered at the idea that young people were missing out on their education because they couldn’t afford the products they needed during their period. They decided to take action and contacted several secondary schools in Portsmouth to ask if a constantly stocked box of menstrual products would be welcomed.
After two and a half years of providing free period products to schools across the country, and following a legal campaign launched with Free Periods, we are delighted to say that the Government has at last taken action to tackle the issue of period poverty experienced by children in England.The Department for Education has committed to funding the supply of free period products to all schools (primary and secondary) and colleges from early next year, distributed via the phs Group. Detailed guidance on the scheme for schools is expected in early December, with full roll-out in January 2020.
You can keep up to date with The Red Box Project UK in the news section on their website.