Sunday 28 February 2016

The Homeless Period...


"Periods are not a great time of the month for any woman, but lack of affordable sanitary items amongst homeless and disadvantaged women can make the burden of menstruation more like a nightmare"

"As a woman myself, it pained me to learn that this same vulnerable group sometimes have to find cloths or other absorbent items to use to protect themselves from bleeding, in most cases this is toilet roll sought from public restrooms"



The Homeless Period is an incredible non- profit organisation that currently operates in the West Midlands. However, I believe there are organisations all across the UK operating out of shelters and working with charities to deliver similar services.

Their main message is that homeless women have periods too and many of us don't understand or even think of the repercussions of this when faced with no money and no means of access to sanitary products or even clean underwear. People everywhere, no matter what gender, will understand the pain of a period and the inconvenience it can sometimes entail with regards to feeling clean and making sure that leaks and spills are contained. I can't even begin to imagine how it must feel to go through this every three weeks with no resources or comfort at all.



Therefore, it is down to us to help these women in any way we possibly can. For me, this meant helping by donating goods to the drop off points, (both of which can be seen listed in the pictures below). They accept sanitary items, wipes and clean underwear amongst other items that help form their 'care packages'. It's just like the shoebox appeal at Christmas but for periods! Currently, they are appealing for donations of underwear and wipes, and it just so happens Poundland have cute underwear in at the moment and a deal of 10 boxes of Huggies wipes for £5! This shows that even if you just spend a pound it makes such a huge difference to somebodies life so instead of buying that bottle of pop or a packet of crisps, invest in something much more important and long lasting.

           

I went out and spent £20 in Poundland and I couldn't believe what you can get for that money, as you can see from the picture at the top of this post! This was so bitter sweet for me as it evoked happiness that I could help even more than I had first anticipated but it also made me sad that even at this low cost the products still aren't fully accessible for some women. The worst part for me is that these women sometimes aren't even homeless, they are the working poverty who have been betrayed by the system so much so that working doesn't necessarily mean they are better off or even able to survive.

The costs of being a woman can no longer be ignored especially after the "tampon tax" became national news earlier this year, if Jaffa cakes aren't considered luxury items then why are tampons? They are a right and something every woman should have access to and together we can help make this a reality! Whether that be by buying an extra item when you purchase yours or donating to the cause via their Facebook page, every single penny and tampon counts! I will be organising collections when I make my monthly donations to the cause so please feel free to pass along your donations to me and  I will be more than happy to pass them along!


Thank you!
Love Liv x

Facebook page- The Homeless Period
Donation page- https://www.gofundme.com/hbkru59w
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