Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | News Video | Crime | Employers | Housing | Immigration | Legal | Local Govt. | Maori | Welfare | Unions | Youth | Search

 

Put Female Sanitary Products on Your Foodbank Shopping List

A joint release from: MP Louisa Wall, Countdown and The Salvation Army

Wednesday 27 July 2016

— WELLINGTON

Put Female Sanitary Products on Your Foodbank Shopping List

“Female sanitary products are not a luxury, but for young Kiwi women on tight budgets they’re an expense that’s hard to afford,” says Manurewa MP and Labour Youth Affairs spokesperson Louisa Wall.

The MP has joined forces with Countdown and The Salvation Army to champion the cause of female students on low incomes.

“A lack of sanitary products has been identified as an obstacle to regular school attendance,” says Wall. “Some girls stay home when it’s their period because they cannot afford sanitary products. Others resort to makeshift and unhygienic measures such as recycling used pads or improvising pads from old clothes, rags, newspapers and other materials—putting them at risk of infection and sickness.”

This is not only a problem for high school students, but also for university students who typically don’t have much money. “Some university students can’t afford to take public transport or have to skip meals when it’s their period so they have money to buy pads and tampons.”

Nevada Lee-Mariu, President of Young Labour, shares Mrs Wall’s concerns. “Female sanitary products are essential healthcare items, yet there are young women in New Zealand who stay home for one week every month because they can’t afford these products. This should not be happening anywhere in the world and certainly should not be happening in New Zealand.”

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

Wall and Lee-Mariu are encouraging people to donate female sanitary products to The Foodbank Project so these can be provided to women in poorer New Zealand households.

The Foodbank Project (www.foodbank.org.nz)—an online foodbank collaboration between The Salvation Army, Countdown supermarkets and web developer Lucid—has introduced a “Women’s Hygiene” bundle for $15 that will be distributed to The Salvation Army’s foodbanks. This can be set up as a recurring monthly donation.

Countdown supplier Kimberley-Clark has kickstarted the campaign with $2,500 worth of sanitary products as a donation.

Countdown’s General Manager Corporate Affairs James Walker says, “Women’s sanitary products are a necessity item that can become hard to afford when young people are under financial pressure. We hope this collaboration between Louisa Wall, Countdown and The Salvation will allow us to fulfil an important community need.”

In a pilot project, The Salvation Army will approach schools in Wellington and Porirua to talk about discretely supplying sanitary products to young women who need them.

“We don’t want any of our young women to miss out on learning opportunities,” says Major Pam Waugh, head of Salvation Army Community Ministries. “We know that poverty can follow people throughout their lifetime, so it’s essential students who are making every effort to improve their future prospects are not held back because it’s ‘that time of the month’.”

A recent survey by Wateraid reported that three-quarters of UK women feared the embarrassment of blood leaking onto their clothes while out in public during their period. Just over half feared smelling bad. Only six per cent of women reported experiencing no anxiety around their periods.

“There is the risk of embarrassment for anyone during their period—but poverty increases a woman’s vulnerability even more,” says Wall. “We need to establish interventions that will empower our girls and young women so they are not marginalised simply because they are menstruating.”

- ENDS -

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines



Gordon Campbell: On Dune 2, And Images Of Islam


Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture tends to be hostile to Islam when we’re sitting in the dark, with popcorn.
Any number of movie examples come to mind, beginning with Rudolf Valentino’s role (over a century ago) as the romantic Arab hero in The Sheik...
More


 
 


Government: One-stop Shop Major Projects On The Fast Track

The Coalition Government’s new one-stop-shop fast track consenting regime for regional and national projects of significance will cut red tape and make it easier for New Zealand to build the infrastructure and major projects needed to get the country moving again... More

ALSO:


Government: GPS 2024: Over $20 Billion To Get Transport Back On Track
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has released the draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport, outlining the Coalition Government’s plan to build and maintain a transport system that enables people to get to where they need to go quickly and safely... More

ALSO:

Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.