Words by Smiley Team
During the pandemic, many areas of life have grinded to a sudden halt. One thing that has not, however, are periods and more notably, period poverty.
According to Plan International, in the UK 1 in 10 people cannot afford to buy the menstrual products they need and 1 in 7 have struggled to afford them. Period poverty negatively impacts physical and mental health, causing infections and stress which are even more dangerous during a global pandemic.
Bloody Good Period is a charity and activist group working to end period poverty, providing period supplies to people who need them and cannot access them. The majority of the people they help are refugees and asylum seekers. Those who are able to access government support are given only £37.75 each week, but many of the people the charity works with are not able to access even this low-level of support.
‘We’re also seeing which we’ve never really seen before, an increase in NHS workers needing products’ says Gabby Edlin, CEO and founder of Bloody Good Period, ‘Either because they are not even able get to the shops, let alone the fact when they get to the shops, they are not even there because they have been bought up.’ Due to the stockpiling that has occurred up and down the country, many supermarkets are completely out of stock of pads and tampons. As Edlin notes, ‘it just goes to show how essential they are and why they absolutely need to be free. If they were free, people would not need to stockpile because they would be able to get what they needed.
Prior to the outbreak of COVID-19, Bloody Good Period was able to operate alongside over 40 drop-ins for asylum seekers and refugees around the country, supporting 1500 people every month as well as providing education and outreach about period poverty. However, due to restrictions required as a result of the outbreak, this has had to cease for now and their donation points - where people could donate pads or tampons - have had to close. However, the organisation has still been able to buy and deliver bulk-supplies to organisations outside of London, and is also operating a trust-based ‘take what you need’ program at their storage facility in Alexander Palace for anyone who needs it which is particularly supporting drop-in centres, refuges, homeless shelters and food banks.
Following the government guidance has also meant that the charity has been unable to accept offers of help from volunteers which has deeply affected the organisation. Edlin told us that ‘Bloody Good Period has always been about the different ways that you should and would support charities and activism, but at this point, money is all we can accept’.
‘The most useful thing people can do is either donate an amount now or set up a recurring direct debit and that means we can rely on people’s money coming in across the year. We know with this pandemic we are going to be in it for the long-haul’.
To support Bloody Good Period and the vital work they do, you can donate money to their Pad Fund.
By Ellen Jones
