Breaking the taboo and building opportunities.
On March 12th from 19:15 onward, Neighborhood Feminists hosts its first-ever fundraising benefit at Podium Hal West in De Hallen (Hannie Dankbaarpassage 24 in Amsterdam), with the generous support of the venue.
This International Women’s Day gathering brings together changemakers, healthcare professionals, entrepreneurs and advocates to spotlight menstrual health as a feminist issue – and a shared responsibility. Above all, the evening is about turning awareness into action.
Join us
Whether you’re a community member, policymaker, researcher, donor, volunteer or corporate partner, this evening is designed for you. Each ticket includes one raffle chance, given at check-in, but additional raffle tickets can be ordered at the event, as well. Space is limited.
Scroll to end for information on partnerships, and to download our A4 event flyer.
Why this matters
Also known as menstrual exclusion, period poverty remains a pressing but often invisible issue in the Netherlands.
- 25% of people who menstruate in Amsterdam are affected by menstrual exclusion
- 14% are unable to access the products they need
- Nationally, 765,000 people struggle with access to products or information
Since 2019, Neighborhood Feminists has provided free period products and information, currently serving more than 2,000 people every month in every district of Amsterdam.
In 2024, we conducted the largest quantitative study on period poverty in the Netherlands. Now, in 2026, in partnership with Perspectivity, we have completed a nine-month narrative research project to capture lived experiences behind the data.
The findings confirm our quantitative research: Period poverty is not only about products. It’s about knowledge, dignity, health, and opportunity.
The research reaffirms that short-term aid is important, but structural education creates lasting change. Without targeted action against menstrual exclusion, the hidden impacts include missed school days, anxiety at work, health risks from unsafe alternatives, and silence within families.
An evening to learn, connect, and contribute
Making menstrual health visible, accessible and stigma-free for everyone happens together.
Join us at Hal West for an impactful International Women’s Day Benefit Evening evening of breaking taboos.
What to expect
- 19:30 Sharing knowledge at our info market
Featuring Yoni · Moodies Undies · Zero Waste Nederland · AVA · Amsterdam UMC · Crampy · Neighborhood Feminists Research (including our 2026 narrative research with Perspectivity)
- 19:30 Making the invisible visible through art and story-gathering
Painter Helen Roeten will work on a live model, as a 360° installation, while art photographer Lana Prins will share her unique perspective in a capsule digital exhibit on menstruation. Upstairs, in an intimate conversation nook, visitors are invited to share their own experiences. These anonymous reflections are collected to reinforce that, rather than a private shame, menstrual health is a shared experience – and a shared social responsibility.
- 20:45 Talking about breaking the cycle with our panel
Moderated by Dymphie Braun, leading voices Dr. Judith Huirne of Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam youth social worker Nadia Balkoudia, and researchers Dr. Maria Carmen Punzi and Lisa Zuidema will explore how targeted education dismantles stigma, improves access and structurally interrupts the cycle of menstrual poverty. The conversation will highlight what truly creates long-term impact, and where public, corporate and community responsibility meet. Expect sharp insights, practical pathways forward, and the introduction of the Neighborhood Feminists / Amsterdam UMC MPower Workshops.
- Live music, followed by a Benefit raffle
Support the cause and take home something special.
Each entrance ticket comes with one chance to win beautifully curated prizes: a Food for Skin luxury skincare set, four delicious Syrian dinners by Zina’s Kitchen, and generous certificates for high-quality reusable period products from Moodies Undies and Yoni, to a pleasure package from The Oh Collective, exclusive Denim City x NF laser-designed bags, a W+K design calendar, a full year subscription to Gut Princess for meal planning and well-being, and a powerful art print by Lana Prins. You can purchase more chances upon entrance, further helping us to raise vital funds for menstrual health.
- Direct giving and donation-matching opportunities
Proceeds from the evening will directly support a strategic pivot: the launch of our Healthy Menstruation Workshops, co-developed with community partners and medical professionals, including Amsterdam UMC.
These workshops, held in districts across Amsterdam, will deliver science-based menstrual health education, address stigma through practical, guided conversations, introduce sustainable product options, strengthen peer networks, and generally increase healthcare engagement and personal autonomy.
Conversations, community and drinks will be on offer throughout the evening. So join us: to learn, connect, and contribute!
Spotlight on our speakers
Prof. Dr. Judith Huirne is Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology (benign gynecology) and has been a gynecologist at Amsterdam UMC since 2007. She specializes in female-specific conditions, with expertise in improved diagnostics and minimally invasive treatments.
Since 2011, she has led the gynecology department of a tertiary referral center for complex uterine conditions, endometriosis, and pediatric gynecology. Following her PhD (cum laude), she initiated and coordinated research on improved diagnostics and innovative treatments, including surgical techniques, medication, and eHealth, in collaboration with national and international teams. She has published more than 265 peer-reviewed articles (≥12,000 citations) and has received several awards,including the Cobra Award, Cutting Edge Award, VGZ Innovation Award, and the Societal Impact Award.
Dr. Maria Carmen Punzi is a Post-Doctoral researcher, consultant and activist. Since 2017, she has bridged the academic, non-profit, and corporate worlds to champion menstrual health as a critical yet overlooked component of gender equality.
Beyond extensive research, Maria Carmen consults with companies and policy makers (e.g. Gates Foundation, UN, PwC, Vodafone) on menstrual health, contraception and Femtech.
Maria Carmen also runs @periodswithmariacarmen, an Instagram profile promoting patriarchy-free, evidence-based body literacy and menstrual education.
Lisa Zuidema is a health scientist and PhD candidate at Máxima MC and Maastricht University, with a background in medical ethics. Her research focuses on experiences of menstruation, exploring how people who menstruate experience their cycles, pain, and shame, and how healthcare and society can better respond to these realities. Passionate about amplifying underrepresented voices, she combines academic research with advocacy to challenge menstrual taboos and raise awareness. Last year, she launched a module on diverse menstruation experiences on the online platform PratenOverGezondheid.nl where stories of 33 people are shown.
Nadia Balkoudia is a youth care worker and is committed to addressing period poverty and breaking the taboo surrounding menstruation. In her work with young people, she sees that knowledge about menstruation is often lacking and that the topic is frequently experienced as uncomfortable, leaving questions and concerns unspoken.
Both within and beyond her professional role, she makes menstruation discussable and offers practical tools to support open conversations, so that concerns can be recognized earlier and appropriate help or reassurance can be provided.
As she says: “Your period may be private, but it is nothing to be ashamed of.”
Spotlight on our artists
Helen Roeten has over three decades experience as a painter, working in multiple countries. Her recurring theme is women, with a focus on exploring and celebrating female power and beauty. Body painting is one of many outlets for expressing their variety and gorgeous fierceness. Using acrylic to illustrate directly on a woman’s skin creates a living artwork, and the painting of a complete body becomes in itself an artperformance.
Lana Prins is a photographer whose work investigates unique views of womanhood, as seen through her own eyes and the eyes of her subjects. In her work, she seeks to explore what “being a woman” means in this day and age, and to reclaim the female body. Lana uses her camera to get closer to others – both literally and figuratively. Her œuvre consists of intimate moments, including menstruation, characterized by many close-ups of bodies and nature. For Lana, photography is not only a form of documentation, but also a means of experiencing the most intimate expressions of human emotion.
GINGE is an independent artist from Amsterdam. Inspired by artists like Joy Crookes, IYAMAH, and Snoh Aalegra, she makes songs that are a mixture of R&B, Pop, and Neo-soul, with a voice that can be both sultry and sharp at the same time. With this exciting sound, GINGE has also defined how to artistically articulate and take full ownership and pride of her sensuous side. GINGE reflects on her coming of age, as a woman and as an artist, and the crucial themes and issues that keep on recurring in her songs throughout the years. Including longing for human connection, the pressures of dealing with the outside gaze – and the deep sense of freedom found in truly surrendering to that longing for joy within yourself.
Partnership opportunities
From silence to outspoken awareness. From stigma to structural change.
We invite organizations to partner with us through our Benefit by:
- Providing matching donations (up to a defined cap)
- Contributing raffle prizes or in-kind services
- Supporting the scaling of our 2026 learning initiative and Menstruation Stations
For companies seeking meaningful ESG engagement locally, this is a tangible way to support equality, education and public health. To explore possibilities, contact Tammy at tammy@neighborhoodfeminists.com.
Together, we can help ensure that menstrual health is treated not as a private burden but as a shared public responsibility.
To spread the word in your office, school or neighborhood, download the A4 invite flyer.
International Women’s Day Benefit invitation Download
