On Saturday, May 24th, 2025, Scrub Life Cares hosted the 4th Annual “Grow With the Flo” Women’s Health and Wellness Event at the Cana Moravian Church in Antigua and Barbuda. What began as a grassroots initiative to promote menstrual health education and support services for girls and women has rapidly evolved into one of the island’s most anticipated public health events. This year’s edition, themed around inclusion, intergenerational care, and health access, drew hundreds of women, men, and youth from across Antigua and Barbuda united by a shared purpose to eliminate stigma and expand health education for women and girls.
Timed in observance of Menstrual Hygiene Day, globally recognized on May 28th, the event focused on raising awareness around menstrual health and hygiene management. It also addressed the systemic issue of period poverty defined by a lack of access to sanitary products, hygiene facilities, waste management, and education which continues to disproportionately impact low-income women and girls, particularly in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) like Antigua and Barbuda. In many of these communities, girls still miss school due to inadequate access to menstrual supplies or because of prevailing taboos around menstruation that silence and isolate them during their cycles. Scrub Life Cares created this event to dismantle those barriers.
At the center of the day’s success was the event’s focus on shared learning and experiential engagement. The Cana Moravian Church was transformed into a vibrant space for wellness, conversation, and culture. Community health booths featured topics ranging from fibroid education and postpartum care to nutrition and mental health. Conversation echoed throughout the grounds during sessions that promoted physical movement, mental health awareness and menstrual knowledge. Children participated in yoga sessions offered by Beautiful Blue Butterfly. Teenagers, parents, and elders, including men participated side by side in a series of wellness exercises that emphasized empathy and shared responsibility in health and caregiving. This intentional intergenerational model reflects the holistic community care values that define Scrub Life Cares’ Grow with the Flo Initiative.
Tanya Ambrose, MPH, Founder of Scrub Life Cares, expressed profound gratitude and pride in seeing the event flourish. “We created ‘Grow With the Flo’ as a movement to bring menstrual health out of the shadows. Our Caribbean women have a long tradition of strength, but they have also carried silent burdens. This event is about opening up space to talk about our bodies, access care, and be treated with dignity regardless of age, income, or location,” said Ambrose. “What stood out to me this year was seeing fathers attend with their daughters, listening attentively and asking questions. This is the kind of cultural shift we need.”
Among the standout features of the event was the educational installation created by the Scrub Life Cares medical team. Girls and young women explored detailed anatomical models and received guidance from nurses, gynecologists, and student volunteers. Dr. Sherida Philip, one of the organization’s lead medical advisors, explained the importance of community-based medical education. “We often see women and girls come into clinics with preventable health concerns simply because they weren’t taught what to look for or when to speak to their primary care physician,” said Dr. Philip. “Through ‘Grow With the Flo,’ we’re building dialogue and trust. We are bringing our medical student volunteers with us in order to learn how to serve communities with health education.”
With the rising concern of mental health in a post-COVID-19 world, Scrub Life Cares has made mental health a permanent fixture in their women’s health advocacy. In partnership with the WISH Foundation, a local nonprofit addressing mental wellness in vulnerable populations, the event featured open conversations on hormone-related mood disorders, body image, and trauma recovery. Founder of WISH, Chaneil Imhoff, emphasized the importance of these spaces. “Women undergo intense hormonal changes throughout their lives, from menstruation to menopause, yet mental health remains taboo for us in the Caribbean. Events like this allow us to dismantle stigma and let girls know that it’s okay to ask for help.”
Mental health advocate and international psychotherapist Jamion Knight lent his expertise to the event. Knight announced plans to develop a mobile wellness unit designed to support expectant and new mothers in Antigua and Barbuda. He emphasized that postpartum depression continues to be a silent storm among Caribbean women. “This is not only a medical issue, it’s a societal one,” Knight said. “ It is important to have events like [Grow with the Flo]. One of the topics that I will be focusing on is postpartum depression, which is not discussed enough. It has a significant impact on the life of the mother, and bonding between mother and child. We have to talk about the role that fathers should place and the role in the home. This event is a great opportunity to speak about this, and create communities of support.”
Recognizing the intersection of environmental sustainability and health, Scrub Life Cares partnered with Good Humans 268 to ensure responsible waste management and promote awareness about how environmental conditions affect women’s health. “There’s a direct connection between where we live, how we treat our environment, and our physical wellbeing,” shared Joshuanette Francis, Founder of Good Humans 268. “We’re proud to partner with Scrub Life Cares to promote eco-conscious health practices and sustainable waste management.”
The event showcased local and international partnerships dedicated to women’s empowerment. RIF Care, a California wellness brand founded by Val Emmanuel and inspired by her Antiguan roots as the grand-daughter of King Short Shirt, donated biodegradable menstrual products to promote eco-friendly menstruation options. The Flow World and SAALT, two global leaders in menstrual hygiene advocacy, supplied hundreds of reusable menstrual cups and educational materials to attendees, bridging knowledge and product accessibility. Local sponsors, including Caribbean Pharmaceuticals, Cool & Smooth, and Humble and Free Wadadli, fortified the event’s grassroots efforts with their steadfast support. Community-based vendors and practitioners brought added value through herbal wellness offerings, skincare education, and traditional Caribbean healing practices.
Performances added depth and energy to the day’s message. The Honey Bee Theatre Group of the Antigua Girls High School led by Creative Director and Playwright, Zahra Airall, moved the audience with a dramatic presentation centered on body autonomy, self-worth, and resilience. The Line Dance Connection brought joy and rhythm to the gathering, embodying the belief that women can celebrate vitality and connection through movement. Their performance challenged affirmed that wellness is a lifelong journey.
Youth from Green Bay Primary School, Irene B. Williams Secondary School, and Antigua Girls’ High School were active participants in the event’s dialogue. Educators and Scrub Life Cares volunteers guided these students through health-focused stations, encouraging open questions and conversations. Ambrose shared that this engagement was a deliberate act of empowerment. “By involving girls in these discussions early on, we equip them with knowledge and the language to advocate for themselves, giving them space to lead.”
Scrub Life Cares hosted a pre-event retreat at Hawksbill Beach, which combined yoga, mindfulness, and mindfulness practices led by local partners Wadadlivity and clinical psychologist, Regina Apparicio. Apparicio, who also serves on the Scrub Life Cares team, highlighted the significance of grounding mental health support in place-based and culturally relevant practices. “For us as Caribbean people, the land and sea are healing spaces. Mindfulness and self-regulation are necessities. When we contextualize wellness within our environments, our communities are more likely to embrace it,” she explained.
As the event drew to a close, each participant left with a specially prepared “Grow With the Flo” wellness bag filled with essential health items, sanitary products, and educational brochures. These powerful tokens symbolize something far greater: dignity, access, and the right to care. In countries like Antigua and Barbuda, where conversations about periods have historically been met with shame or silence, events like Grow with the Flo become revolutionary.
Scrub Life Cares remains deeply committed to expanding its reach and building on the momentum generated each year. Plans are already underway for the 5th edition of “Grow With the Flo” in May 2026. The organization aims to deepen its focus on health literacy, maternal care, and legislative advocacy around menstrual equity and women’s health rights.
Scrub Life Cares continues to be powered by a committed team of renowned medical professionals, volunteers, educators, and community stakeholders, all working toward a shared goal of health justice. Their work reflects the broader call from Menstrual Hygiene Day to create a world where menstruation is never a barrier to education, mobility, or self-worth. As Ambrose states, “Grow With the Flo is a movement of care, care that begins with our girls and women but extends to everyone. When we uplift our women, we uplift our communities.”
Behind the success of Grow With the Flo is a growing network of dedicated sponsors and mission-aligned partners. This year’s event was made possible with the contributions and in-kind donations, locally and internationally:
Sponsors: Caribbean Pharmaceuticals Ltd., SkyTiger Cares and Frank B Armstrong, INET, Anjo Wholesale, Saalt, The Flow World, Rif Care, Bold Books 268, Collin Harrigan, Senator Lamin Newton, Gorjus Sex-Ed, Community First Co-operative Credit Union Limited, Wally Browne Farm, Wadadlivity, Beautiful Blue Butterfly, 4imprint, Taylor Brown, Molina Healthcare, J Notes, Good To Me, Idea Media Printing 268, Cool & Smooth, Sir Richie Richardson, Flow, Needful Thingz. WISH Foundation, Antigua and Barbuda Holistic Coalition, The Red Pledge Initiative, Sistah Souljahs, Humble and Free Wadadli, Grandma Miriam, Carl Christopher, Hopeful Hearts Foundation, Good Humans 268, Nutritionists and Dietitians of Antigua and Barbuda, Her Shine Theory, EcoShores Sustainable Futures Network, and EcoShores Expeditions.
For more information about Scrub Life Cares or to get involved in their upcoming programs, contact them via email at info@scrublifecares.org or follow them on Facebook at Scrub Life Cares and Instagram @scrublifecares.
About Scrub Life Cares – Scrub Life Cares is a 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Organization in the United States of America founded in 2020 with a registered not-for-profit organization in Antigua and Barbuda. The organization was founded by Tanya Ambrose, MPH,, a public health professional from the island of Antigua and Barbuda. Scrub LIfe Cares believes in a world where every woman and girl has access to the menstrual and reproductive health support, education, and essential supplies they need to manage their health with dignity and thrive.
For future updates, collaborations, or interviews, please contact:
Tanya Ambrose, MPH, Founder, Scrub Life Cares
Email:info@scrublifecares.org
