OUR MISSION
It is our mission to address period inequality in our local community. We were set up to support abuse survivors of forced marriage, honour-based violence, female genital mutilation and sex trafficking. However, since the COVID-19 pandemic, our outreach has been extended to school leavers, food banks and anyone else who needs support within South Yorkshire, because #MenstruationMatters
Understanding MM
Who we help?
Originally we supported women across South Yorkshire who are primarily from BAMER (Black, Asian, minority ethnic and refugee) communities and are fleeing sexual or domestic abuse such as forced marriage, honour-based violence, female genital mutilation and sex trafficking. Since 2019 we have extended our support to all menstruators, including young adults such as school leavers and food banks within Sheffield.
Why we help?
The people we support are experiencing "period poverty" or "period inequity", which is when someone who menstruates is unable to afford menstrual protection due to financial constraints or has reduced access to such items. Instead they may use items such as socks, rags, newspaper and toilet roll to stop the bleeding, or change period protection less often, which can cause gynaecological or urinary infections. In our study, we found that 73% of BAMER women sampled in our local community struggled to afford sanitary products on a monthly basis, 67% change protection less often and 62% used unconventional items.
How we help?
Thanks to monetary and physical donations we are able to provide free menstrual products such as pads, tampons, pantyliners, menstrual cups and re-usable pads to local organisations within South Yorkshire. We also provide educational pamphlets on menstruation and different forms of period protection, enabling menstruators to make informed choices.
How we donate?
Menstrual products are divided up into Care Packages, with enough products to last one period. These Care Packages are either Pads only, Tampons only, or both - with a mixture of flow options. We donate more pads than tampons or cups because 73% of the women we support use menstrual pads as their preferred choice, and only 24% find vaginally inserted products acceptable. Reducing plastic waste is a high priority for MM but unfortunately certain products are not suitable for these women due to FGM, sexual abuse and cultural beliefs. Brands such as Here We Flo allow us to purchase sustainable single-use products. We've also started a 'plastic neutral' scheme where we run reusable period pad sewing workshops to teach the general public about sustainability and promote ecofriendly forms of protection.
Who we are?
We are a collaboration of university students and doctors from the University of Sheffield as well as young professionals who are passionate about supporting and empowering women in our local community to have a safe and healthy period.