South Africa, June 1 -- Because for 4 million South African schoolgirls, it has been.

The campaign, created by Joe Public in partnership with the MENstruation Foundation and Independent Newspapers, transforms three of the country's most widely read print titles into a visceral symbol of period poverty. Its message is unambiguous: "A newspaper can absorb the blood, but not the shame."

Period poverty forces millions of girls to substitute sanitary products with newspapers, rags and cow dung. The consequences extend far beyond hygiene. Without access to period products, a schoolgirl misses up to five days of school each month - a cumulative educational disadvantage that narrows her opportunities and deepens existing gender inequality. Fami...