An Open Letter From TABOO Co-Founder Eloise
Hey!
My name is Eloise, and I am the Managing Director and Co-Founder of TABOO Period Products, a social enterprise selling a high-quality range of Pads and Tampons committed to ending period poverty. I am also in my final semester at Uni, studying a combined degree in International Relations and Business, and, of course, a big fan and customer of Significant Other.
I have been invited to tell you more about TABOO because for the next two weeks, Significant Other is supporting our Pad It Forward program, which helps people in Australia who are at risk of period poverty with the provision of free period products!
Eloise wears the Kara Midi Dress
Period poverty is an experience that can affect anyone who menstruates and specifically refers to the inability to access or afford appropriate menstrual hygiene products and/or facilities required to healthily manage a person's period. It is estimated that 1 in 10 menstruators and 1 in 5 young menstruators are victims of period poverty in Australia. A lack of access to product prevents many young people from attending school and impacts older menstruators' work attendance, involvement in sports, and other social events. The stigma of menstruation intensifies period poverty, as menstrual rights are often ignored systematically, therefore, unmet.
The Pad it Forward program is a service designed to relieve the experience of Period poverty from people's lives in Australia. TABOO offers a service where individuals or businesses can purchase TABOO products on behalf of someone at risk of period poverty.
Eloise wears the Ivy Top.
We have partnerships across the country with organisations that provide services to people at risk of period poverty. Our partners work across a diverse range of support systems, including domestic violence shelters, homeless services, rural health clinics, schools for kids with complex needs, isolated community groups and more! These organisations have been onboarded as long-term partners, and we strategically manage our partner capacity, so our partners receive a sufficient supply of products all year round. We work with organisation leads to ensure the communities can access effective, culturally sensitive education about menstrual health and that they have considered other infrastructure such as waste management, privacy, and hand washing facilities. Once onboarded, these partners then receive TABOO product, completely free of charge, thanks to our marvelous Pad It Forward subscribers and supporters.
We are proud that many of our partners have recommended our service to other charities, with confidence we deliver a culturally sensitive service with a dependable supply system. This year, we have donated more than 3,000 boxes of product, which we estimate has supported more than 250 women with a whole year's worth of supply.
We know that the access to free period products through the Pad it Forward program has provided many people with a sense of dignity and freedom, a liberty everyone deserves. Access to period products is a human right but is often ignored or neglected. We're so thankful for our generous community, who have ignited the opportunity for TABOO to provide this service, and we welcome you to join the movement!
We're so proud to be partnering with Significant Other again and can't wait to share with you the impact this partnership will have for the communities we work with.
Thank you for helping us end period poverty.
With love and gratitude, Eloise X
Eloise wears the Addison Shirt.