Ending period poverty one day at a time: Anytime of the Month.

"A shocking 1 in 2 secondary school students and 1 in 3 third level students in Ireland experience period poverty today."

Anytime of the Month is a student-led social enterprise that is working to help educate people about periods, while also working to achieve period justice in Ireland. Period poverty is a global issue and affects those who do not have access to period products. You may not think it, but period poverty is all around us and it is a harsh reality for a lot of people in Ireland today. We have carried out our own research and have found that 35% of people surveyed find it difficult to pay for period products, with 75% of people admitting to wearing a period product for longer than the recommended 4 hours. Those who were being surveyed had no idea that they themselves were experiencing period poverty, that is how overlooked the issue is. We think that people tend to forget that period poverty can affect anybody and everybody in all demographics of society. The problem is a lot closer to

home than one might think.

A shocking 1 in 2 secondary school students and 1 in 3 third level students in Ireland experience period poverty today. Our mission is to try and help alleviate the effects that period poverty has in Ireland. We are calling not only for access to free period products

in public buildings, but also an end to the stigma surrounding periods in general.

We have created a network of friendly strangers. Friendly strangers can be easily identified by our logo on their person in the form of a badge or sticker. By displaying the Anytime of the Month logo, you are showcasing your support to ending period poverty and period stigma, while also becoming that friendly face that anyone can approach if they need to borrow a pad or tampon. Anybody can be an Anytime of the Month friendly stranger simply by purchasing our badges/stickers from our website. All profits that are earned go straight back into the project and go towards purchasing sustainable period products that are donated to those who are most vulnerable to period poverty. We donate pads and tampons quarterly to homeless shelters and direct provision centers around Ireland.

To diminish the stigma surrounding menstruation, we have put together Anytime of the Month workshops. We provide these workshops to both primary and secondary schools. The main goal of this is to educate people about menstruation and period poverty. We have found that there is a lack of education when it comes to periods. It is a strangely taboo subject for something that is so natural. We believe that through education, we can empower young people to no longer be embarrassed about their periods. Our workshops are for all gender identities, as we are of the opinion that we will not be able to overcome the stigma surrounding periods if we continue to act like it is a secret and something to be ashamed of. The only way that we can conquer period stigma and period poverty is if we do it together.

Source: anytimeofthemonth.com

The Anytime of the Month Initiative was launched on the University of Limerick campus in 2022. We are now working with the University of Limerick in providing free period products on campus. We also work with 21 third-level student unions across Ireland and the UK. All these institutions have joined our network of friendly strangers and are working towards our mission. Anytime of the Month operates a Workplace Ambassador Programme. This programme is intended to create an inclusive work environment for all employees who menstruate. We encourage workplaces to provide free period products in their staff bathrooms. Workplaces that choose to take part in this programme will attend a workshop in which they will learn about the realities of period poverty, language inclusivity, period stigma, the menstrual cycle, and other related topics. Some of our partners include eBay, Key For Her, Irish Women’s Lawyers Association, and more. We are continuing to reach out to companies and workplaces to expand our network and get closer and closer to eliminating the stigma.

We also post fun and educational content on all our social media. We have Menstrual Mondays weekly in which we discuss a new topic related to period products and menstruation. We try to use social media as an outlet to educate as many people as possible, while also spreading awareness about period poverty.

If you would like to learn more about us or would like to support us further and become a friendly stranger, please check out our social media and our website www.anytimeofthemonth.com. Follow us @anytimeofthemonth on Instagram and Tiktok and @anytimemonth on Twitter. You can also find us on LinkedIn.