Hackney and Islington women's organisations have launched a shoebox campaign to help tackle and raise awareness of period poverty.
Tricky Period, a volunteer-led grassroots group which works in Hackney, Islington, Camden and Haringey, has teamed up with Hackney's Akka Project, which was set up to challenge the issues and stigmas women face, such as period poverty.
The appeal for period products was launched on International Women's Day on March 8 and sets out not only to help people who are homeless, but also families and young people facing financial hardship.
Akka founder Ketchurah Ravindren said: "We ran a successful shoebox campaign back in Christmas, whereby we provided shoebox care packages for women in temporary accommodation.
"These shoeboxes contained essential and non-essential items such as sanitary products, cosmetics and chocolates.
"In the new year, I saw Tricky Period featured in the Gazette highlighting the rise in period poverty since the pandemic, which went beyond women on the streets, and I reached out to Tricky Period and asked if they would like to collaborate in another shoebox campaign for those in need."
Caroline Allouf founded Tricky Period, which grew out of the long-established Streets Kitchen group which runs homelessness outreach services across Camden, Islington, Haringey and Hackney.
She says there has been a noticeable rise in period poverty during the pandemic: "There are no concrete stats at present, however, all the key organisations who are part of a menstrual activist network for the UK have anecdotally experienced a sharp increase in demand for products and from a wider cohort - including many people in employment, students as well as from an increase in women experiencing homelessness who have fled domestic abuse during lockdown or were previously sofa surfing but were asked to leave due to Covid."
People are asked to drop off their donations of period products by March 26 at Eastern Curve Garden on Dalston Lane, Monday to Friday between 2-6pm; Well Space Community Centre on Well Street by March 23 on Tuesdays between 4.30-6pm; and on March 14 and 21 outside Hackney Central Library on Reading Lane between 11am-1pm.
To participate in assembling the shoe boxes, drop by Eastern Curve Garden on March 26 between 2-6pm.
For more details, visit www.trickyperiod.com/akkashoebox/
Learn more about Tricky Period at www.trickyperiod.com/about/
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here