Fostering Change Podcast | Episode 273 | Yvonne Esipila

As Fostering Change continues through Season 7, this episode dives into an urgent but often unseen issue: menstrual and postpartum poverty, and how it impacts girls in foster care and communities around the world.

Rob Scheer sits down with Yvonne Esipila Patron, Co-Founder and CEO of the PATESI Foundation, an organization working globally to ensure women and girls have the dignity, resources, and education they deserve.

In 2025, Comfort Cases and PATESI began a powerful partnership to make sure no girl entering foster care faces her first night without essential menstrual supplies. Through this collaboration, PATESI donates up to 10,000 emergency menstrual kits each year, included in Comfort Cases® backpacks for girls ages eight and up — providing dignity, protection, and confidence during moments of deep transition.

Together, Rob and Yvonne unpack why menstrual poverty remains invisible, why postpartum poverty continues long after childbirth, and why involving men and boys is key to ending stigma and driving real change.

Episode Highlights

The global impact of menstrual poverty and why it’s rarely discussed
How entering foster care can make menstruation even more stressful for young girls
What the Comfort Cases × PATESI partnership delivers each year
Why postpartum poverty deserves national attention
How male allyship strengthens long-term solutions

Yvonne Esipila Patron is the Co-Founder and CEO of the PATESI Foundation, a global nonprofit dedicated to ending menstrual and postpartum poverty. With a background in public health and sustainable development, she has spent her career advancing reproductive health equity, youth empowerment, and community-driven solutions.

Connect with PATESI

Website: www.patesifoundation.org

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To listen to previous episodes of Fostering Change, please visit: www.comfortcases.org/podcast or your favorite podcast outlets.

📩 Have thoughts or questions? Reach out at fosteringchange@comfortcases.org —we’d love to hear from you!