Five years ago, a small grassroots group set out to dismantle deep-seated silence and stigma around women’s reproductive and menstrual health in Antigua and Barbuda. Today, that initiative has grown into one of the nation’s most impactful community health movements, and this month, it is celebrating its milestone fifth anniversary with a landmark public event.
On Saturday, May 23, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Scrub Life Cares will host its 5th Annual Grow With the Flo Women & Girls Health Expo at the Cana Moravian Church Grounds in Swetes Village. The free, family-focused event is open to all members of the public, and will bring together attendees from across generations alongside healthcare providers, local nonprofits, and advocacy leaders for a full day of learning, connection, empowerment, and resource access.
What began as a targeted campaign to address period poverty and challenge menstrual shame has evolved into a holistic movement centered on whole-person wellness, health equity, and intergenerational healing. Tanya Ambrose, founder and executive director of Scrub Life Cares, emphasized that the expo and the organization’s broader work extend far beyond menstrual health, a core but not exclusive focus of their mission.
“Grow With the Flo has always been about more than periods,” Ambrose explained. “Yes, menstrual health matters, and we center that conversation because it has been ignored for far too long. But this work is also about building confidence, advancing body literacy, supporting mental wellness, improving maternal health outcomes, and making sure every woman and girl has the tools and knowledge to thrive at every stage of her life.”
For decades, open discussion of menstruation, reproductive health, and women’s bodily autonomy has been sidelined or silenced across much of the Caribbean, including Antigua and Barbuda. Even today, many women and girls across the region face systemic barriers to care: limited access to affordable menstrual products, incomplete or absent reproductive health education in schools, persistent cultural stigma, and widespread shame around natural bodily changes. These barriers do not stay confined to health — they impact school attendance, employment opportunities, mental wellbeing, and overall quality of life for millions, Ambrose noted.
“Menstrual health touches every area of a person’s life, yet it still does not get the urgency or openness it deserves,” Ambrose said. “When women and girls are locked out of information, products, and supportive spaces, the harm goes far beyond the monthly cycle. That is why this work matters so deeply.”
Over five years, Grow With the Flo has grown from a single annual expo to a year-round platform for advocacy and public education. Through school outreach, interactive workshops, community campaigns, and targeted engagement programs, Scrub Life Cares creates safe, shame-free spaces where young people, parents, and families can learn about puberty, menstrual care, reproductive health, consent, mental wellness, and self-advocacy.
This year’s expanded expo reflects the organization’s growing commitment to inclusive, holistic wellness. Alongside core programming focused on menstrual equity, attendees will have access to new sessions and resources covering maternal and child health, nutrition, mental health care, sexual and reproductive health education, neurodiversity and disability inclusion, and cross-cutting community care. The event is designed to welcome attendees of all ages, with dedicated youth-friendly learning spaces, interactive activities, educational breakout sessions, wellness vendor booths, free health resources, giveaways of menstrual and hygiene products, community raffles, and opportunities for families to learn and connect together.
Two new and returning features will highlight this year’s milestone event: the popular Nutrition Station will be back, and organizers will launch the Open Closet initiative, a new community-focused space that provides free clothing to attendees in a setting designed to uphold dignity, accessibility, and mutual care.
The fifth anniversary expo has drawn broad support from local community groups and corporate partners, a shift that signals growing national recognition that women’s menstrual and reproductive health is a critical public health issue in Antigua and Barbuda. Ambrose credits the movement’s growth to the widespread buy-in from sponsors, clinical partners, volunteers, community organizations, and individual donors who share the mission of building healthier, more informed, and more empowered communities.
“This event is proof of what we can accomplish when communities come together around a shared purpose,” Ambrose said. “The support we have received over the years makes it clear that people are ready for these conversations, and they understand that investing in women, girls, and families is investing in all of us.”
For Ambrose and the Scrub Life Cares team, the most meaningful impact of the past five years has been the visible transformation in how women and girls talk about their health. “We have had young girls tell us they no longer feel ashamed of their periods. Parents have shared that our sessions gave them the tools to start these important conversations at home. We have watched women gain the confidence to advocate for their own health needs,” she said. “That is the real impact. This work is about dignity, empowerment, education, and building healthier communities for everyone.”
The expo is a core component of Scrub Life Cares’ broader Menstrual Health Awareness Month campaign, and ties into the organization’s ongoing “Period-Friendly Antigua & Barbuda” initiative. That campaign advocates for policy and cultural change to create more supportive environments in schools, workplaces, healthcare facilities, and public spaces, where menstrual health is recognized as both a public health priority and a matter of basic human dignity.
As anticipation builds for the milestone event, Scrub Life Cares is inviting all community members to attend, bring their families, and join a day rooted in education, wellness, compassion, empowerment, and connection. “This is more than an expo,” Ambrose said. “It is about building a healthier, more informed, more supportive Antigua & Barbuda — one where women, girls, and families feel empowered to care for their bodies, prioritize their wellbeing, and access the education, resources, and support they deserve. At Scrub Life Cares, we believe in supporting the whole person, because health is about so much more than one single issue — it is about dignity, confidence, wellness, and community.”
As a nonprofit organization, Scrub Life Cares is dedicated to advancing menstrual equity, comprehensive reproductive and sexual health education, maternal and child health, and community wellness across Antigua and Barbuda through education, advocacy, research, and access initiatives. The organization works to address stigma, systemic inequities, and access barriers that impact women, girls, youth, and families, with the goal of building informed, empowered, and healthier communities nationwide.
