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A student spent the last of her student loan buying sanitary pads and tampons to tackle period poverty within her university.
Daisy Wakefield, a drawing and print student at the University of West England in Bristol, has spent the last month designing and creating 40 hand made boxes for the sanitary products including important statistics about period poverty.
The 22-year-old has deposited the boxes around campus, providing women with free sanitary products for the first time at UWE.
She decided to spend her own money after the university failed to respond to her requests to supply free sanitary products.
Daisy has been involved with campaigning around period poverty for the past few years, creating art around the issue and placing posters around Bristol to raise awareness around the matter.
Speaking to student newspaper The Tab, she said: “I wanted to do this because I believe this is a feminist issue.
“One in ten people who menstruate in the UK can’t afford the essentials to actually menstruate – that honestly baffles me.
“The university has a duty of care for all their students and it’s time they recognised people missing university because they can’t afford a tampon is also their responsibility.
“Additionally, it’s amazing we have these wonderful charities who are using all their spare time to donate and campaign to end period poverty, however the university have the money.
“They can afford to build these million pounds buildings at Frenchay, they can afford to help one in ten of their students carry on studying by giving them some free bloody sanitary products.”
So far the only response Daisy has received from UWE is forwarding her details of the “money advisor” and said to the women’s forum to get in contact with her – she has yet to receive anything.
According to Plan International UK, 40 per cent of girls in the UK are thought to have been forced to resort to toilet roll because they couldn’t afford products.
In response to Daisy’s project, the university said: “Period poverty is a global issue and we’re pleased UWE Bristol students are passionately advocating for change.
“The University does not currently supply free sanitary products on campus, though we would be pleased to meet with students to understand if there is an emerging need for this.
“All students can access the Blackbullion app to help their budgeting and our money advice service can provide vouchers in emergencies.
“Students paying home fees can access a student support fund and summer fund to cover composite living costs, and there is an emergency fund accessible to international students.
“Short term loans can also be arranged for any student with less than £100 in their back account.”
