Korea Food for the Hungry provides sanitary pads to 950 teens from vulnerable groups, easing the cost burden

[Financial News] Sanitary pads and other menstrual hygiene products have been provided to 950 adolescent girls from vulnerable groups in South Korea who face the cost burden of purchasing such products. The recipients were selected separately to avoid overlap with those receiving government support.
According to Hope Friends Korea Food for the Hungry on the 12th, Happy Nanum, a social enterprise, carried out its “2026 Sanitary Pad Support Program for Vulnerable Groups in South Korea.” The aim is to help ensure that financial hardship does not become an obstacle to adolescents’ hygiene and health care.
Each recipient received six packs of medium- and large-size sanitary pads, along with a pouch and other items needed to carry and store them. The pads are a product launched by Happy Nanum in collaboration with the social enterprise Updream Korea.
According to information on Bokjiro, the government’s menstrual product voucher provides 168,000 won per year toward purchase costs for female adolescents aged 9 to 24 who qualify for support as basic livelihood security recipients, near-poverty households or people eligible for single-parent family support. Applications can be made at the eup/myeon office or dong community service center with jurisdiction over the applicant’s registered address, or through Bokjiro.
One parent of a teenager who received support said, “My daughter had only recently started her period, so I was very concerned about getting menstrual products ready. Receiving support when we really needed it was a great help.”
Han Myeong-sam, head of Happy Nanum, said, “We will carefully review participants’ feedback and satisfaction, improve the support methods and items in the future, and consider ways to run the program over the long term.”

[email protected] Jang In-seo Reporter