Support campaign for BruZelle vzw
Last year in December we raised money for Cloud in my head, an organization that raises awareness about perinatal depression. This year we opt for a permanent action and through our small error discount collection and our pre-loved collection we collect money for BruZelle, a Belgian non-profit organization that raises awareness about and fights against menstrual fragility (also known as period poverty ). In the first place, the organization wants to respond to the immediate need by collecting sanitary napkins and distributing them to people with menstrual periods who live in precarious circumstances.
What is period poverty?
Hygienic products such as sanitary napkins and tampons are too expensive for many people to bear. Globally, it causes girls to stay home from school, shut women down from work or social activities, and generates a great deal of shame. The mental impact of not being able to buy hygienic products is great. The figures in Flanders are also not very encouraging, as a recent survey by Caritas showed.
Below is a TED talk by the British activist and founder of Free Periods, Amika George (video in English).
How it started
The two founders of BruZelle, Veronica and Valérie, noted that homeless centers and PCSWs do not focus on a structural supply of hygienic products. The ladies initially appealed to their environment, but later invented the system of collection boxes, which they distributed in schools, cultural centers, shops and pharmacies. People can then deposit unused, pre-packaged sanitary towels in this. They also started sewing bags to bundle sanitary towels together with volunteers.
Of course, this is just a temporary solution to a permanent problem. That is why the BruZelle team also actively participates in seminars, debates, conferences, festivals, studies and interviews. They make the theme of menstrual vulnerability more widely known and they exchange ideas and experiences in order to arrive at concrete solutions. BruZelle therefore needs a budget, both for its operation and for when the demand for menstrual products exceeds the supply.
Distribution
BruZelle works together with partners in the field such as OCMWs, CAWs, centers for day and night shelters for homeless women, food banks, mother houses, university social grocers and NGOs working in refugee camps and squats.
In addition, the BruZelle team also takes to the streets to distribute the sachets of sanitary napkins to people they meet and the sachets can also be picked up at BruZelle's Brussels office.
Our penny in the pocket
50% of the full sales price of the items in the collections " little errors discount " and " pre-loved collection " goes to BruZelle.
How can you still help
- You can donate the following at a collection point in your area (the largest offer is in the region around Brussels):
- prepackaged sanitary napkin
- clean fabric from which bags are made
- ready-to-use bags
- Turn your work/sports association/event into a collection point .
- Make a donation.
More information about how they work can be found on the BruZelle website.
You can also find more information about this theme in this blog post from research project Isala.
