The Red Box Project - how it works

You may recently have seen news reports that disadvantaged young women in the UK are missing school because they have started their period and find it hard to obtain sanitary products. The result? Anxiety, embarrassment, missed lessons, missed education.

I’ve signed up as a Coordinator for The Red Box Project, a charitable community group based in Portsmouth but with branches all over the UK. This should be a straightforward problem to solve. So here is what we've done.....

Local branches of The Red Box Project sponsor and stock red boxes filled with sanitary towels, tampons and spare pants. The boxes are kept in schools at Reception, with the Nurse, Student Services or with an appropriate member of staff.

Posters placed in the girls' toilets encourage a young woman in need of sanitary items to ask for the red box and take what she needs. Plain bags are included for discretion. If she needs supplies for her whole period, we've got her back.

No tearful panics in the loo. No wadded up toilet roll. No sitting awkwardly on one cheek. No anxious embarrassment. No missed lessons or staying home.

This is a simple project and is entirely funded by community kindness. On behalf of the Project, I will be managing red boxes filled with free sanitary products which will be kept in local schools when they request one. I’ll liaise with the schools and keep the boxes fully stocked.

We ❤️ our teachers and support staff and we recognise that they go the extra mile every day. We also think that as communities around our schools, we should step up and do our bit.

Now The Red Box Project is coming to Newcastle and surrounding areas in the North East. Would you like to help?

🔴 Donate to The Red Box Project Newcastle fundraising page - here you are! Funds raised will help to purchase initial boxes and supplies, as well as cover the cost of printing posters for schools. The price of one coffee a month would support one young woman through her period.

🔴 Donate in kind. Add a packet or two of light to normal flow sanitary towels to your weekly shop. Please message our Facebook page for drop off details.

🔴 Tell your friends about us and ask them to consider supporting the project.

Want to get on board?

🔴 Please contact me if you would like to fundraise or donate products for boxes.

Feel strongly that no young woman should be embarrassed or miss her education because of her period?

🔴 Get together with friends, colleagues or neighbours and help to provide a red box in a school near you!

If you work in a local school and would be interested in being provided with a Red Box, please email redboxprojectnewcastle@gmail.com.

Thank you so much for your support,

Jenny :-)