Initial Washroom Hygiene teams up with Freedom4Girls to help end Period Poverty

To help combat Period Poverty, Initial Washroom Hygiene has partnered with Freedom4Girls, a UK-registered charity actively supporting women and girls in both the UK and worldwide, who struggle to access or afford safe menstrual protection

For every Period Poverty Vending Dispenser installed by Initial Washroom Hygiene, the company is donating £5 to Freedom4Girls as well as an additional donation of £1 for every box of sanitary refills ordered for these units.

Initial Washroom Hygiene launched a bespoke Period Poverty Vending Dispenser last September, which was developed specifically to provide a hygienic, in-cubicle option in response to customer demand. Housed in a compact unit, typically located alongside the toilet roll holder, female washroom users who cannot afford them or who have simply been caught unaware are provided with easy, free and most importantly, private, access to sanitary products.

Set up in 2016, Freedom4Girls works in developing countries to offer environmentally-friendly, washable, reusable menstrual cups. In the UK, the organisation supports local schools, supermarkets and charities in the set-up of sanitary donation stations, so more women and girls have access to the products they need to enjoy a normal life, regardless of being on their period. It also delivers hundreds of period products each week to schools, community groups, refugees and women’s agencies.

Period Poverty has affected more than a quarter of females, forcing them to miss either work or school[1].

Tina Leslie, Founder of Freedom4Girls, comments: “We are delighted to have this support from Initial Washroom Hygiene. At Freedom4Girls, we envisage a world in which no girl or woman suffers from Period Poverty or stigma associated with their periods. No girls should miss school or woman be forced to miss work because they have their period, and that is why access to free and hygienic menstrual protection for those who need it is so important.”

Sian Walkling, Marketing Manager, Initial Washroom Hygiene, concludes: “Creating a welcoming and hygienic washroom is important for any establishment, which is why we believe that sanitary products should be viewed as a ‘washroom essential’ in the same way soap and toilet paper are. We’re extremely proud to be supporting the amazing efforts of Freedom4Girls in their fight against period poverty.”

[1] https://www.itv.com/news/2019-02-18/more-than-a-quarter-of-females-have-suffered-from-period-poverty-survey-finds/