The cost of paradise is high. Hawaii has led the nation in high cost of living for many years, even higher than California and New York. With an economy that relies on tourism, the pandemic has not been kind to Hawaii. Many families and locals are struggling just to make ends meet and cover basic needs from housing and food, to care items like period products. 

To combat this disparity, sisters Brandy-Lee and Nikki-Ann Yee cofounded the Ma'i Movement, to act on their mission to provide and distribute free menstrual products to people in need, advocating for systemic change in the government, schools and community to end period poverty in Hawaii. 

In this episode, I speak with Nikki about period poverty as a public health crisis, human rights, and what the Ma'i Movement is doing every single day to effect change.