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Period Poverty
We believe all women should have access to period products during their period. But many are experiencing period poverty, unable to access or afford them. That’s why we're working towards our goal to eliminate period poverty in Britain's most deprived communities by 2025.
Pads are also being distributed to crisis areas across the world including Syria and Ukraine.
ABOUT US
The Gift Wellness Foundation supports women in crisis by providing non-toxic sanitary pads.
Fundraising for the Gift Wellness Foundation not only improves the lives of women in crisis – it’s also extremely rewarding.
Whether you’re a school, business, community group or individual, simply click on 'Start a Fundraiser' and set up your page now.
You can also support the cause by buying pads from the Gift Wellness website at giftwellness.co.uk. Thank you for making a difference!
Fill in the form below to let us know that you want to get involved and we'll be in touch with more details.
It’s not just money you give when you donate. You preserve the dignity of refugee women because they no longer have to use strips of their clothing as a substitute for sanitary protection. You give female students more opportunities to fulfil their ambitions because they’re no longer missing days of school during their period. You give homeless women and those in low income employment one less thing to worry about every month.
Red Rebel Day 2023 aims to achieve two objectives:
1. To raise £50,000 to supply 12,000 period products to those in desperate need, from homeless women in Britain to refugees in war-torn countries.
2. To campaign for period products to be made available free of charge in all public places across Britain.
This 36 hour event will culminate online on 19-20 March 2023.
Will you be one of our Ambassadors so we can count on you to help us spread the word?
It's really easy to join in and make a difference.
1. Click Join Red Rebel Day button below & complete the form
2. We link you into our cool Ambassadors crowdfunding group on Whatsapp and provide all you need including links & scripts to share on the day
3. You share the posts we give you to all your contacts.
It's as simple as that and we'll be supporting you all the way!
In addition, you may wish to set up your own fundraising page by clicking on Start a Fundraiser
Support us by signing up as a Red Rebel Day Ambassador by clicking the link below now.
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We’re thrilled to partner with Aspire, an organization which gives women the freedom and support to change themselves and the world. Founded in 2001, Aspire were the first company in the UK to specialize in coaching and leadership development for women. For every place that is purchased for an Aspire event, they will donate pads
to women in crisis through the Gift Wellness Foundation.
On the 9th October 2022, consultant gynecologist, Mr. Pisal (2nd to left in the photo) of London Gynecology hospital put on his running shoes and joined 40,000 runners in the Chicago Marathon to fight period poverty with the Gift Wellness Foundation. On his return to London, Chair of the Gift Wellness Foundation, Dr Zareen Roohi Ahmed, personally thanked Mr. Pisal at his Portland Street clinic and was presented with a cheque for £7,619. Zareen and Marketing Manager, Sara Wolfe from London.
Delivering period products to women in Syrian refugee camps - Lebanon
In August 2022, Dr Zareen Roohi Ahmed, our Chair, joined a deployment of volunteers on a mission to distribute 500 boxes of period products and other essentials such as shampoo, soap and washing powder to Syrian women across 6 refugee camps.
Statement from our Chair
Safeguarding the dignity and promoting the empowerment of women and girls everywhere is at the heart of everything we do. For every pack we sell of our Gift Wellness menstrual products, we donate pads to women who can’t access or afford them, and with the help of our period poverty charity, we’ve donated over 6 million so far, to homeless and refugee women, foodbanks and shelters. But there is still so much to do.
How your donation will help
£1,000 = 11,083 sanitary pads. Helps 123 women for 6 months
£5,000 = 55,416 sanitary pads. Helps 615 women for 6 months
£10,000 = 110,832 sanitary pads. Helps 1,230 women for 6 months
£20,000 = 221,664 sanitary pads. Helps 2,460 women for 6 months
£30,000 = 332,496 sanitary pads. Helps 3,690 women for 6 months
£50,000 = 554,160 sanitary pads. Helps 6,150 women for 6 months
(Based on average need of 15 pads per month)
Who we help
More than 12 million female refugees in the world have little or no sanitary protection. The situation is so desperate that they have to resort to tearing strips off their clothes to create make-shift pads. Working in partnership with charities on the ground in refugee camps we’re helping to preserve the dignity of women by supplying non-toxic sanitary pads directly to them.
The number of homeless women in the UK is on the rise. According to Shelter, rough sleeping rose by 15% in 2017 and 14% were women. We’re working with homeless charities, women’s refuge projects and food banks in the UK to donate period products to those who can’t afford to buy food, let alone sanitary protection.
Plan International’s 2017 report found that 48% of girls aged 14-21 in the UK were embarrassed by their periods. The shocking stats continue. 14% of girls admitted that they did not know what was happening when they started their period and 26% reported that they did not know what to do when they started their period. 78% of girls didn't feel comfortable discussing their period with their teacher. The impact? Shame, embarrassment and missing school. As well as donating period products to girl's schools in poor parts of the world, we're working with schools in the UK to normalise the conversation about periods and empower our young women to fulfil their ambitions without being held back.
Can you imagine having to choose between buying sanitary pads for you and your daughter(s) or food for your family? This is an issue which affects millions of women in the UK, yet one that’s often overlooked. Surprisingly, many of these women are in professional roles, like teachers and nurses. Working with food banks in the UK we donate sanitary pads to support women and their families living on the breadline, so they don’t have to go without.
Donating sanitary pads to Rohingya women in Bangladesh
In partnership with two UK-based charities, we’re providing sanitary pads to Rohingya women in Cox’s Bazaar refugee camp, Bangladesh – the largest refugee camp in the world.
The Communities Against Poverty (CAP) Foundation runs a women’s health centre. Our latest donation of 10,560 pads is supporting women who are giving birth at the centre - 60,000 Rohingya women and young girls have given birth in the camp after being raped in Myanmar. Iqra International is helping us to provide sanitary pads to schools in deprived areas of Bangladesh, where girls are often prevented from going to school when they start their period.
We’re making progress, but we need to reach more women. Your donations will help us to achieve that.
“Our major donors and corporate philanthropists are extremely vital to us. By working together, we can transform the lives of so many women and girls.”
-Dr Zareen Roohi Ahmed, Founder of The Gift Wellness Foundation
Download our Major Donors & Corporate Philanthropists brochure here
When you're ready to make your donation, please download the donation form here, complete the donation form and email it to us at info@periodpoverty.uk
The women we support have enough to deal with without worrying about whether their pads are ‘safe’ for use. That’s why the pads we donate are made from natural ingredients only – free from harmful chemicals that exist in other sanitary products on the market.
If you’re a company that produces non-toxic sanitary pads and would like to donate your pads to women in crisis, we’d love to hear from you. Please get in touch. Thank you.
To provide sanitary pads to women and girls who can’t afford them or can’t access them, both in the UK and globally.
·With the support of local volunteers, community organisations, local authorities and businesses we will work towards our goal of eliminating period poverty in the UK's most deprived communities by the end of 2025
·Work with local organisations in the UK's most deprived communities to provide sanitary pads to homeless women, women on low incomes, food banks and students
·Continue to provide sanitary pads to women in refugee camps in disaster-stricken and war-torn parts of the world
·Alongside our provision of sanitary products, we will focus on dispelling myths and taboos about periods and work to normalise the conversation about periods, so that girls and women are no longer held back because of their periods
-Campaign for the need to provide free sanitary pads to vulnerable women and to make sanitary products tax free
The Gift Wellness Foundation was established in 2013 by the founder of Gift Wellness Limited, Dr Zareen Roohi Ahmed, who manufactures and distributes ‘Gift’ natural sanitary products. Having donated millions of sanitary pads to women in crisis, she set up the Gift Wellness Foundation to facilitate expansion of this charity work.
The Gift Wellness Foundation is a charity registered in England. Our charity registration number is: 1182451
Donating sanitary pads to the growing number of homeless women in the UK
So far, we’ve donated more than 500,000 pads to homeless charities in the UK, including The Homeless Period and In Kind Direct. In 2019, we’re focusing on a more strategic approach to reach the growing number of homeless women by working with local authorities and local charities.
We’re making progress, but with the growing number of homeless women living on our streets, we’ve got a challenge ahead of us. Your donations will help us to reach more women, sooner.
6,243,629
sanitary pads donated to women in crisis since 2013
Dealing with period poverty amid Covid-19
The Covid-19 pandemic has plunged the whole world into survival mode, economies are crashing, both at a macro, country level, and at a micro, household level. At times like this, issues that are not openly discussed such periods get easily overlooked or neglected, and this can leave women and girls in a desperate situation.
There are vulnerable women in every society, where the lack of affordability or access to period products causes extreme distress; where in many situations, cultural taboos around menstruation are used like a weapon against them. Women are often their own worst enemies, having never firmly and positively asserted their human rights in this regard. This lack of conviction or confidence has inadvertently helped to create or reinforce the culture of keeping quiet about periods. As a result, women are suffering, from boardrooms, to classrooms and front rooms, there are women and girls who are too embarrassed or afraid to say that they need sanitary pads or tampons. During lockdown, women and girls who had previously depended on the safety net of free sanitary pads at school or at work, now have this additional problem alongside all of the obvious worries.
As we work to safeguard the wellbeing of our families during this difficult time, we must also be considerate of the indisputable fact that women’s periods don’t pause for pandemics.
Donating sanitary pads to food banks in the UK
Many women on low incomes, even those in professional roles, are struggling to afford sanitary pads. The role of food banks has never been so necessary within our communities. Thanks to movements like ‘Me Too’ and organisations like ours, awareness of period poverty is growing and we’re beginning to ‘normalise’ the conversation. We’ve donated more than 350,000 pads to food banks in the UK so far.
It’s a start, but we’ve still got a long way to go. With your support, we can provide sanitary pads to even more women while continuing to raise awareness of this widespread issue. No woman should face period poverty.
We’re a charity committed to improving the lives of women in crisis by donating sanitary pads. We support women in refugee camps, homeless women, female students and women in low income employment. Join us in the fight against period poverty.
Gift Wellness Foundation registered charity number: 1182451
CONTACTS
Tel.: +44 (0)8445008566
Email: info@periodpoverty.uk
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