Charlotte Galer

All women have, at one point or another, faced the mess of an unexpectedly early period, when there was nothing else to do but wrap an abundance of toilet paper around your knickers and hope for the best. However, for some, this is the bloody reality of every day of every period: this is period poverty.

The latest research from children’s charity Plan International UK reports that one in 10 young women (aged 14-21) have been unable to afford period products. In London, this number is closer to one in seven.

Between 1st April 2017 and 31st March 2018, The Trussell Trust’s foodbank network distributed 1,332,952 three-day emergency food supplies to people in crisis, a 13% increase on the previous year. 484,026 of these went to children.

The hard truth is that, if a family cannot afford food they most certainly cannot afford sanitary products. In the wake of period poverty exposure, many support groups and charities have emerged such as Bloody Good Period and Red Box Project, with the mission to provide both support and products to girls in need.

With the North West having the highest rate of food bank dependency in the country, local mum, Charlotte Galer, wanted to find a way to help young girls have access to the products they need.

“I can’t believe that in 2018 girls are missing school because of our periods, no girl should have to put newspaper in her knickers, so she can get an education,” she said.

Using her passion for art, Charlotte created Project Bloody, on online retailer where people can buy her t-shirt designs that feature feminist slogans . 15% of  proceeds from these purchases go towards providing menstruation products that are distributed to local food banks.

As well as the designs, Charlotte, a student nurse, has provided local areas with donation boxes so that people can drop off items as and when they please. The project is also looking to expand into providing care packages and donation boxes further afield, such as Manchester City Centre. So far, the project has helped 100 girls.

“You can say the future is female, but how can we get there if girls are missing school every month so as not to ruin their uniform. Even if we just help a few girls at a time Project Bloody is doing its job. Our journey has only just started but it is far from over,” she said.

The charity Bloody Good Period estimated that the average lifetime cost of having a period is about £4,800, which can equal out to around £11 per period, which for some families is just too much.

“When I’ve spoken to people, especially people over thirty, they don’t even realize that this is an issue. I want to bring light to something that affects so many people and help as many as I can!”

Charlotte praises the birth of her daughter, Matilda, for her desire to no longer be a bystander in these women’s issues.

“I’ve always been a feminist, but it wasn’t until the birth of my daughter that I became more of an activist. I want her to grow up in a world where menstruation isn’t a taboo subject, and she isn’t embarrassed or ashamed of something so natural and normal.”

You can contribute to Charlotte’s movement by donating or purchasing from: www.projectbloody.com

Other sites include: www.bloodygoodperiod.com/ & redboxproject.org/