“At first, no one cared about women’s needs. Then suddenly we were a topic of discussion.”

— Sakura Chan, founder of the nonprofit GirlsUp

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In January, the coronavirus crisis in Wuhan, China, was desperate. The virus had hit its peak and sick patients filled the wards while more lined up in the cold waiting for treatment.

Four hundred miles away in Shanghai, Sakura Chan, a 29-year-old fashion designer, was struck by images from Wuhan: the chapped hands of medical workers, reddened from dehydrating sanitizers and soap, and the deep impressions and blisters that goggles and N-95 masks left on their faces. Some were online, calling for better personal protective equipment and supplies.

“We looked at the photos and tried to guess what they would need,” Ms. Chan said. And when she couldn’t find masks to donate, she and a team of about 20 volunteers sent sanitary pads to medics in Wuhan and other cities in Hubei Province that had been placed under lockdown.