Hello!
Gabby here from the TABOO team. It’s time again for our Pad it Forward (PIF) program quarterly update.
As you may know, our PIF program is working to address barriers to menstrual health education and period products in Australia. We partner with schools, community organisations and health care centres around the country to deliver your amazing donations of period products to. Our program partners then distribute the period products to their community members, providing dignified and uncomplicated access to period products and menstrual health support.
We have been hard at work finding more partners to send your monthly donations to so we can support more people across the country who are experiencing, or at risk of, period poverty.
Since our last PIF update, we have donated 711 boxes of period products around Australia to people at risk of period poverty.
In May we sent:
24 boxes of pads and 10 boxes of tampons to SASY - our long time Pad it Forward partner!
SASY is an independent secondary school that operates with a vision to reconnect disengaged students with complex needs, by reigniting their interest in education through holistic learning and practices that focus on wellbeing. The students at SASY are leading the partnership with TABOO and taking responsibility for tracking product availability, collecting the product from our office, and designing their own dispensing system.
TABOO is proud to be supporting SASY students to take control of their menstrual health through the provision of period products.
50 boxes of pads and 50 boxes of tampons to Nindilingarri Cultural Health Services - our new Pad it Forward partner!
Nindilingarri Cultural Health Services (NCHS) is an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (ACCHO) in the Fitzroy Valley, situated in the heart of the Kimberley in WA. There are more than 45 Aboriginal Communities in the Fitzroy Valley with 5 main Aboriginal language groups including Bunuba, Walmatjarri, Gooniyandi, Nyikina and Wangkatjungka, each having their own distinct language and customs.
NCHS delivers a holistic, culturally appropriate service that recognises the impact of Aboriginal Law, Culture, Spirit and Land issues on the health of the Community. Period products donated through the PIF program are being distributed to the Communities in the Fitzroy Valley through the Women’s Health Promotion programs and the Maternal and Child Health programs. Education and information sessions around menstrual health are implemented in women-only spaces, after consultation with Elders in the community to determine community needs.
In June we sent:
25 boxes of pads and 25 boxes of tampons to Uniting SA, Western Adelaide homelessness service. Uniting SA is a not-for-profit organisation delivering services across aged care, community, disability, mental health, child development and employment in South Australia.
Uniting SA’s Western Adelaide Homelessness Service supports people of all ages with emergency housing, food and health care assistance and provides specialised 24-hour residential support to young people. The service delivers a person-centered approach to support people to find and maintain housing, reduce risk of homlessness, live independently and participate in their community.
TABOO is working with Uniting SA Western Adelaide Homelessness Service to provide period products and menstrual health support. Period products donated through the PIF program will be distributed through the service’s outreach programs to support rough sleepers and people living in temporary dwellings, as well as through their emergency accommodation program for families and through their Youth Shelter program.
In July we sent:
107 boxes of pads 107 boxes of tampons to Strong Brother Strong Sister our new Pad it Forward partner!
Strong Brother Strong Sister is an Aboriginal founded and operated not-for-profit youth organisation in Geelong, VIC, providing 1-on-1 mentoring and support groups for young Aboriginal people aged 10-25 years old. Strong Brother Strong Sister provides a culturally appropriate safe space for young Aboriginal people to seek support and connect with culture and community, enabling them to improve their health and wellbeing.
Young people accessing support from Strong Brother Strong Sister are faced with financial and social barriers to accessing period products and menstrual health support. Period products donated through the PIF program will provide uncomplicated access to period products for these young people and enable them to take control of their menstrual health. Period products will be distributed alongside menstrual health education through 1-on-1 and group education sessions.
50 boxes of pads to Red Lily Health Board in the NT - our longtime Pad it Forward partner!
Our corporate partners over at Significant Other ran a Pad it Forward campaign for this year’s Reconciliation Week. Significant Other committed to purchasing 1 box of pads for the PIF program for every purchase made at their stores during Reconciliation Week (27th May-3rd June). By the end of the campaign, they were able to donate $350 to the PIF program which meant that we could donate 50 boxes of pads to Red Lily Health Board.
Red Lily Health Board is a community-controlled service providing support to Aboriginal people within the West Arnhem Region in the Northern Territory. TABOO’s partnership with Red Lily Health aids in removing the shame and difficulty of acquiring pads for people in the West Arnhem region. Products donated through the PIF program allow Red Lily Health to practically educate women and girls in the West Arnhem Region about menstrual healthcare and hygiene, along with lifestyle and wellbeing counselling.
In August we sent:
51 boxes of pads and 12 boxes of tampons to Operation Flinders!
Operation Flinders is a South Australian Foundation working to transform the lives of young people through evidence-based remote, outback intervention programs. The exercise programs take place in the northern Flinders Ranges where young people trek up to 100km, experience abseiling, Indigenous culture, bushcraft and build self-confidence through challenging themselves.
These programs are designed for at risk young people and intended to increase resilience, improve self-confidence and self-esteem, and provide young people with the tools they need to work in teams and face challenges.
Period products donated through the PIF program will support these young people with the provision of period products during the exercise programs with Operation Flinders.
200 boxes of pads to Catherine House in Adelaide, SA!
Catherine House is a homeless and recovery service that provides accommodation and support services for women experiencing homelessness in South Australia. Through a recovery oriented and person-centered approach, Catherine House offers a safe and supportive environment for women to access the necessary supports and services they require to improve personal and economic well being.
Through their crisis accommodation program, women are offered a safe place to go when they are at risk of experiencing honelessness. Women are supported by trauma-informed staff 24/7 and are offered intensive case work support. Women are supported to address the issues that resulted in their homelessness and are linked with support services in the community including financial, medical, legal, education, and wellbeing support. Catherine House also offers two mental health programs for women currently experiencing homelessness and living with a diagnosed mental health condition or who have experienced long-term chronic mental illness and significant periods of homelessness.
Period products donated through the PIF will support women accessing Catherine House across all services, enabling these women to have safe and uncomplicated access to period products and menstrual health support.
We are close to rolling out an education project within the Pad it Forward Program, and cannot wait to show you!
As always, if there are schools, community organisations or health services that you believe would benefit from receiving period products from the Pad it Forward program, please get in touch at gabby@tabooau.co.
Your support for this program means a lot to us here at TABOO and to the people receiving pads and tampons as a result of your contribution. Having safe and dignified access to period products enables people to participate in important activities like school and work, and ultimately continue to participate in their life.
Thank you for fighting the good fight against period poverty here in Australia. We really couldn’t do it without you!
Lots of love,
Gabby and the TABOO team xxx
Read more about our PIF Program here.