Addressing “period poverty” via engineering, social justice, and environmental sustainability

Alissar Yehya is an assistant professor in AUB’s civil and environmental engineering department whose research in Lebanon aims to bridge the gaps between engineering solutions, environmental sustainability, social justice, and gender equity. She does this by exploring technical and social dimensions of “period poverty” among women who lack access to menstrual products, water and sanitation facilities, or relevant knowledge. She explains how she and her colleagues create human-centered and eco-effective strategies to manufacture reusable menstrual pads that are affordable, effective, and not harmful to the environment. That’s where local banana fibers enter this picture of pioneering efforts that join hard science and design with social and environmental equity.