Hollyhock, Kyoto-based volunteer team for distribution of free sanitary products

Hello! 
We are Hollyhock, a university volunteer team for distribution of free feminine hygiene products. We have launched a project in the Kansai area to distribute free sanitary products to shelters, youth support centers, and children’s cafeterias.

“Let’s create an environment in which all women, including children, can be as comfortable as possible without feeling uneasy during their period. Let’s make an opportunity to deepen our understanding of menstruation and at the same time do something to solve period poverty.”

This is our core idea of this project.

In addition to distributing sanitary products, we will also share information related to menstruation on Notes, Twitter, Instagram, etc.

10% consumption tax on sanitary products? - The reason for starting this project

​It's all of sudden, but do you like chocolate?
I do. I love it. Especially Evan, a luxury chocolate which costs 400 yen each.
I can’t stand the full aroma of cacao. But I don’t buy it myself since it’s too expensive. 8% of consumption tax is on it. The reduced tax rate is applicable.
On the other hand, the consumption tax on sanitary products, which are absolutely necessary and cost 300 ~ 400 yen per pack, is 10%.
Isn’t it strange?
Sanitary products are not luxury goods. Everyone with a uterus menstruates and needs some kind of sanitary products no matter what. What’s more is that there is not just one but many different types like pantiliners and overnight pads. It depends on the person, but mostly a pack is not enough for a month.
Why can I buy chocolate for 8% of tax and sanitary products for 10%? I think more people should be questioning it.
During the pandemic, period poverty has been known through the media. However, there have been a large number of women who can’t use sanitary products as much as they need even before the pandemic.
Also, the awareness and understanding of period poverty are still low. Couldn’t it be partly due to a lack of understanding of period per se.
These doubts led me to launch this project.

Why shelters and youth support centers?

Period poverty has recently become a hot topic in the media. In a survey of high school students and adults, about 20% responded that they had trouble buying sanitary products. Of course, there are some elementary and junior high school students who are worried about not being able to use sanitary products properly. Some are due to economic reasons and others are due to lack of education and consultation with adults which are usually the sad results of neglected children at home and domestic violence.
By saying one cannot use sanitary products properly, it means that she uses sanitary products past the originally recommended hours of use or that she uses something other than an actual sanitary goods to deal with her period (such as toilet paper). This is not only about period leakage but it is also about hygiene and health problems.

As many people receive reduced incomes due to the pandemic, period poverty has only recently been covered in the media. However, most articles focus on high school and college students. I think period poverty of younger females like elementary students and junior high school students should also be talked about. Some elementary and junior high schools have sanitary pads ready at school bathrooms, but they are still few.
To provide all females in need including young ones with free sanitary products, we decided to distribute them to shelters and support centers.

What we want to achieve

I wish this kind of volunteer project to be gone.
Sounds weird, right? I’m the one doing such a project.
But what I mean is that a society should be supporting all women with essential sanitary products in the first place, having no need for university students like me to stand up against the problem.
In fact, Scandinavia, UK, and France have actually fixed their laws to deal with such an issue.
I hope people having trouble with getting sanitary products decrease through our project, and at the same time, I hope more people will pay attention and think about various problems related to period together.

Help us distribute sanitary products to women in need

We can’t do this alone. We need your help.
If you would like to support women experiencing period poverty with us, please spread our message and make a little donation!