Who we are
Monthly Dignity advances menstrual justice and combats period poverty by providing access to menstrual health products and education. We advocate for lasting systemic change while uplifting the voices and needs of the diverse communities that we serve.
We dream of a future where no one is held back by their period.
Our values
Community
Rooted in relationships, we stay present, accessible, and accountable to our diverse communities, building trusted partnerships essential for change. We collaborate across movements, learning from lived experience and creating solidarity to dismantle systems perpetuating menstrual injustice.
Belonging
We address systemic barriers by centering historically marginalized communities. Grounded in an intersectional approach, we create space for those most impacted to lead, ensuring lived experience guides our pursuit of equity, belonging, and transformative change.
Responsiveness
We listen, learn, and adapt. Recognizing those we serve as experts of their own bodies and lives, we remain flexible to evolving needs, moving quickly to provide support while building sustainable change grounded in community feedback and autonomy.
Courage
We take bold action for systemic change, even when it’s uncomfortable. We challenge power structures through determined advocacy, leverage our platform to demand systemic change, pursue innovative solutions, and take strategic risks that advance menstrual justice and equity.
Team
Hayley Newman-Petryshen (she/her)
Co-Executive Director
Hayley is a national menstrual equity advocate, championing the provision of free menstrual products across institutions while spearheading initiatives to raise awareness about period poverty in Canada. As a McCall MacBain Scholar, she earned her MA in Political Science and International Development (2023) at McGill, focusing her thesis on the dynamic Canadian menstrual equity movement. Hayley still actively contributes to research projects addressing menstrual equity programs and reproductive justice activism.
Clara Bolster-Foucault (she/her)
Co-Executive Director
Clara is a PhD candidate in Epidemiology and a health equity researcher whose work focuses on understanding how social and structural factors shape inequities in health and access to care. Drawing on expertise in program evaluation, policy advocacy, and knowledge mobilization, she bridges research, policy, and community perspectives to inform more just and effective health and social systems. Her work is guided by a commitment to translating evidence into meaningful, equitable change.
Aylin Sari (she/her)
Community Relations Coordinator
Rooted in a commitment to social justice and intersectional feminism, Aylin holds a degree in Political Science and International Development from McGill University. Her work has centered on women’s land rights and the validation of Indigenous feminist knowledge in development. Today, she mobilizes at the community level to defend social rights, fight gender-based violence, and advocate for housing and migrant justice.
Afrida Ahmed (she/her)
Educational Programs Coordinator
Afrida has had a passion for volunteerism, community work and science education for ten years and counting. Having received BScs in Biochemistry and Psychology at the University of Calgary, she went on to pursue a Masters in Biochemistry at McGill. It is after joining a clinical research team on ovarian cancer that she became interested in gynecological health equity. She now works at Monthly Dignity to design and deliver interactive and evidence-based workshops in Montreal and surrounding areas.
Sophia Harman-Heath (she/they)
Funding Coordinator
Sophia is a fundraising and development specialist with expertise in grassroots community organization funding. They are passionate about community organizing and menstrual health advocacy. Sophia has been involved with Monthly Dignity since 2017. They are excited to bring their breadth of experience to the team and to continue working towards a more equitable Montreal.
Board of Directors
Chloé Pronovost-Morgan (she/her)
Chair & Co-Founder
Chloé is a resident physician in psychiatry, training at McGill University. She is interested in providing holistic care that integrates the mind and body, and conducts research on extra-pharmacological determinants of health. She co-founded Monthly Dignity during her undergraduate studies, in an effort to tackle period poverty in her hometown of Montreal.
Kariane St-Denis (she/her)
Secretary
Kariane works in program support, research and monitoring and evaluation in sexual and reproductive health and rights. She holds an MSc in Public Health from McGill University and has worked with the UN and grassroots organizations in Uganda, Peru, the DRC, South Sudan, Tanzania and Malawi to expand access to maternal care and SRHR services. She is passionate about addressing the impacts of period poverty in Canada and abroad.
Bela Fabri Karam (she/her)
Treasurer
Bela is a project manager specialized in designing inclusive data collection systems that support survivors of gendered violence, LGBTQIA2S+ communities, and people experiencing homelessness. She holds a BSc (Hons) in Pharmacology from McGill University and has a background in healthcare and education equity research. She is passionate about leveraging data to amplify the impact of social justice initiatives.
Safi Nsiempba (she/her)
Board Member
Safi is a lawyer, investigator advisor and facilitator specializing in the prevention of workplace harassment, discrimination, and violence. Her work focuses on making professional environments more equitable and inclusive. An intersectional feminist, she is committed to women’s rights, reproductive health, and social justice.
Jessica Landry (she/her)
Board Member
Jessica is in her thirteenth year as a K-11 educator, focusing on emotional literacy skills, sexuality education and Indigenous perspectives in her curriculum. She co-wrote her school’s first land acknowledgements and championed DEI through classroom and committee work. As a lifelong learner and parent, she is exploring the transitional phases of puberty and perimenopause, to help guide her own experiences and those of her rapidly growing children.
Yasmine Elmi (she/her)
Board Member
Yasmine is an MDCM-PhD student at McGill whose work centers on health equity, with a focus on infectious disease and Black maternal and reproductive health. Trained in epidemiology and family medicine, she researches how structural factors shape health outcomes and advocates for data-informed, community-led solutions. Yasmine brings experience in program design, mentorship, and public engagement. She is committed to strengthening menstrual equity in Montréal through evidence-based education, partnership with community organizations, and policy change.
Juliana Nguyen-Perreault (she/her)
Board Member
Our work is also supported by a wonderful community of volunteers who help with delivering products to our community partners, delivering educational workshops, and hosting events. We are so grateful for their passion and commitment to menstrual equity!
Reports
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Together we can create a world where menstruation is no longer a barrier to well-being or social, educational, and professional opportunity.
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