Recent findings reveal that period poverty affects 1 in 10 menstruators in the UK. We spoke to period pioneer Bimini Love. A 16-year-old girl who started up period poverty initiative, Street Cramps.
Helping others menstruate with dignity is Period Powerful. So, in this post, we want to introduce you to the pioneer bringing #PeriodPowerful to Cornwall. We caught up with Bimini Love to chat all about her project:
First things first, what is Street Cramps?
Street Cramps is an organization which provides homeless women, with boxes of monthly sanitary products. Street cramps was set up in March of 2017 and has been growing ever since.
What inspired you to start-up this project?
After finding out that homeless women in my area had no way of accessing these essential items, I decided to do something about it. Street Cramps is a simple idea, but it has changed the lives of homeless women in Cornwall.
What products do Street Cramps provide to women in your local area?
The boxes include pads, tampons, baby wipes, heat pads, deodorant and clean underwear.
How do you go about gathering donations or your project?
All our donations are purchased with money that we have crowdfunded. We have also had fundraisers in supermarkets and are looking to have donation bins in various locations around Cornwall.
How would you like to see Street Cramps develop in the future?
I would like to see street cramps being taken to other areas where it is needed. Street cramps is a project which can be literally placed in any area to help solve a very big issue for homeless women. I want street cramps to be taken on by people who want to make a difference in their area.
What’s one thing you wish everyone knew about period poverty?
I wish everyone knew that period poverty is real, and it is affecting women all around the UK, not just homeless women but school girls, mums, women from a huge range of different backgrounds, just because it doesn’t seem obvious, doesn’t mean it’s not happening.
You did a TEDx Talk all about tackling period poverty, how did you find this experience?
My TEDx talk was an incredible event, it was terrifying, but the response was amazing. It was a really good way of getting my message out and I feel really honoured to have been given the experience.
What advice would you give to other young people who would like to start up a project and help people in their community?
My advice to other young people who would like to start up a project in their community would be that, no matter how small, whatever you can do will make a difference. If you raise some money for a charity, volunteer your time or if you find your own problem to tackle, you will be able to improve the lives of people in your community. Just because you are young, it doesn’t mean you are limited in what you can do.
To find out more about street cramps and find ways to support the project, check out the website or follow on socials! Thanks so much to Bimini for telling us all about this project and for her amazing efforts to help others.
