Girls in the UK are missing school because they can’t afford sanitary products, it was reported earlier this week. This means, female pupils could be skipping up to a week of school every single month because they can’t afford tampons, towels or menstrual cups and they’re too afraid to ask for them due to the ridiculous stigma and shame still attached to periods.

It’s a staggering and depressing revelation. A revelation that sounds more like a headline from a developing country. But it’s happening in Britain and it’s happening in 2017.

Thankfully, there are a few things you can do to help women and girls in the UK who can’t afford to buy sanitary products during their period:

Donate

Many people living in poverty in the UK depend on foodbanks. Although thousands selflessly give to help those in need, donations are mostly made up of food with few sanitary or hygiene products.

Women and girls are resorting to using socks and newspapers in place of tampons and towels because the Government continually refuse to offer sanitary products for free, though a recent shift means the ‘luxury item’ tax on tampons are now donated to women’s charities. The Trussell Trust, an organisation dedicated to stopping hunger and poverty and offering support to people in crisis in the UK, say going without sanitary products is not only demoralising, it’s risking their health. Adrian Curtis, Foodbank Network Director for The Trussell Trust told Metro.co.uk: ‘It’s heartbreaking to think that young women are having to endure stigma, shame, and health issues because they can’t afford to pay for essentials like sanitary products. ‘But this is the harsh reality for many women in the UK today – Trussell Trust foodbank managers have met women having to use socks, toilet roll and even newspaper instead of sanitary products before they were referred to a foodbank. ‘Women are going hungry, cold, and seriously risking their health because they just don’t have the money, so we are urging people to donate sanitary products to their local foodbank to restore some normality to women at crisis point.’