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New project to combat period poverty to be launched

New project to combat period poverty to be launched

Plan International UK is excited to announce that it is working in partnership with Brook, the young persons’ sexual health and wellbeing charity, on Let’s Talk. Period a project committed to ending period poverty in England.

Period poverty is a challenge facing many girls in the UK. We listened to girls' experiences of menstruation and found 42 per cent of girls (age 14-21) we spoke to said they had been forced to use makeshift sanitary wear such as toilet roll and socks because they had struggled to afford sanitary products. That’s why our first-of-its-kind report, Break the Barriers, outlines the support girls need to manage their periods, understand their bodies and have access to free sanitary products.

The project launching in partnership with Brook will include:

  • building on the networks created at our International Day of the Girl 2017 event in Leeds. We will develop a community of practice to promote learning and best practice across educators, policy makers, activists and other professionals.
  • The delivery of a grant scheme to support organisations tackling period poverty in their local communities.
  • Rolling out a P-card scheme. Based on the existing and successful C-Card scheme, this will provide free products and education to girls and other menstruators that need help managing their periods. 

The Let’s Talk. Period project is supported by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s Tampon Tax fund.

Lucy Russell, UK Girls’ Rights Campaign Manager said, “It’s outrageous that in the 21st century, people in the UK are suffering every month because they don’t have enough money to manage their period. This, along with a lack of education around menstruation and the stigma and shame they face around their periods, is having devastating consequences on their wellbeing and in some cases their education, with research showing some girls are missing school.

“This project is an exciting opportunity to put the insight, expertise and research we’ve gathered into practice, bringing together a community of educators, practitioners and activists to share best practice and create sustainable change – and fundamentally change young people’s experiences of managing their periods.”

This article was updated on 22 February 2019