According to Bodyform, "Period poverty’ means being unable to access sanitary products and having a poor knowledge of menstruation often due to financial constraints. In the UK, 1 in 10 girls can’t afford to buy menstrual products, while 1 in 7 have struggled to afford them, according to a representative survey of 1,000 girls and young women aged 14-21 by Plan International UK."

A study carried out by FreePeriods.org in 2017 found that 137,770 pupils missed school due to period poverty with an approximate cost of £13.00 per month. Powys County Council have teamed up wirth our Community Connectors and Ponthafren to support young women with period poverty in Powys. Robin from Ponthafren explained why it is important to end period poverty:

"Period poverty seems an often-overlooked consideration when it comes to young girls and vulnerable women; this can lead to hidden demand and embarrassment from those in need because they may feel alone. As a mental health charity, Ponthafren is aware that lacking anything that could be deemed a basic necessity can come with feelings of failure, embarrassment, or shame that can stop people asking for help. Persistent feelings such as these can lead to reduced feelings of self-worth and a downward spiral of poor confidence and self-esteem. At Ponthafren, we think that no one should feel unable to ask for the support they need for the betterment of their mental health, even if the need is of an intimate nature. Being able to provide free access to sanitary products for those who cannot access them themselves is a vital, but simple, step to help raise all women in our society to the same level of basic comfort and opportunity. By making sanitary products available to those in need, we can put period poverty on the agenda and offer an invitation for those too anxious to ask for help.’

If you would like to support the campaign to end period poverty please contact  our Community Connector service or Ponthafren for more details.