The Helping Halo Project | Zaria Byrd
At just 15, Zaria Byrd is committed to improving her community by providing education and resources to young women experiencing period poverty. You would never know how young Zaria is when you meet her. Passionate, driven, and confident, this young woman knows how to get things done.
According to Period Action, 1 in 4 menstruating students have struggled to afford period products. Lack of access to period products and proper menstrual education can affect one’s physical hygiene, mental well-being, create negative social stigmas, and can cause young women to miss critical time at school. Like many social issues, period poverty affects communities of color at a higher rate.
In an effort to effect positive change in her community, Zaria started the Helping Halo Project, an Atlanta-based nonprofit. The main goal of the Helping Halo Project is to lower the number of girls experiencing period poverty.
“I want to go out into different areas in my community to give out period products. I also want to go to middle and elementary schools to provide education around periods. Most girls get their period around 11 or 12, so that is a good age to start with.”
“I was inspired to start the helping halo project because it is hard when you have to see people going through a hard time and stuff when they are on their periods because not everyone can afford period products.”
Zaria feels free access to period products should be a fundamental right because women don’t choose to have their periods. Women deal with periods for most of their adult lives, with little choice in the matter. At school, Zaria said girls don’t have what they need to deal with their periods and have to stay home or go to the nurse for help.
How are you leveraging your Let’s Choose Love grant?
Zaria is starting by creating period packs to hand out in her community. These packs include pads, tampons, period cups, period underwear, and some educational resources. She is using her Let’s Choose Love grant to create over 200 period packs and print educational resources to share.
To determine her impact area, Zaria handed out surveys to middle and high school girls in her community to see what neighborhoods lack period supplies and where education is needed. Zaira plans to hand out the period packs in the areas experiencing the greatest amount of period poverty throughout the summer. Zaira plans to support 200 young women with their menstrual needs.
In the future, Zaria hopes to host educational and resource events in schools and community hubs. Creating opportunities for the community to support, educate, and uplift young women.
In addition to making the world a better place, Zaria loves singing, acting, and dancing. She is part of a magnet dance program at her high school. In addition to dance, Zaria runs track, is a cheerleader, and plays flag football. She is a passionate leader, athlete, and performer. Zaria is the middle child of five siblings and has parents who are incredibly supportive of her give-back dreams.
You can learn more about Zaria, learn about period poverty, and sponsor period packs on her website. You can also follow along on instagram where Zaria shares lots of great information @thehelpinghaloproject.
