University faculty donates to the Homeless Period

Staff and students from the Faculty of Science and Engineering have collected and donated sanitary and hygiene products to the Homeless Period to mark International Women’s Day.

The donations came from first-year students studying engineering, construction management, civil engineering and maths students, along with faculty staff.

Academic coach Ameena Khan said: “We launched the initiative on International Women’s Day. I spoke about period poverty and Dr Graham Sparey-Taylor talked about how sanitary and hygiene products are related to the engineering industry.”

For the following weeks, a pink bin, the collection method of the Homeless Period, was available for donations.

Ameena added: “The bin was so full that we had to use black bin bags for the rest.”

The donations have recently been donated to the charity, despite the collection taking place around International Women’s Day in March, due to lockdown restrictions.

The Homeless Period aims to reduce and tackle period poverty in Wolverhampton. They collect a range of hygiene products and distribute them to the women and girls who need them most. This includes sanitary towels, tampons, baby wipes, new underwear, and toiletries which they use to create ‘Period Packs’. These are donated to homeless outreach organisations, women’s support organisations, hostels and shelters, schools and colleges, and foodbanks.