South Australian not-for-profit organisation, KickStart for Kids (KSFK), is desperately calling on donations of sanitary items as part of its mission to help end period poverty in South Australia.

Sadly, 1 in 4 South Australian females experience period poverty.

Since launching KickStart for Kids Against Period Poverty in 2021 in a bid to raise awareness, support, and funds for young South Australian girls experiencing period poverty, the local charity is now distributing sanitary items to around 360 public schools that are part of their successful breakfast program.

Period Poverty refers to the issue of women and girls lacking access to sanitary products, menstrual hygiene education, washing facilities, and waste management. A survey conducted in May 2020* found that 1 in 4 South Australian girls miss out on attending school due to not having access to feminine hygiene products and 1 in 2 don’t know how to access sanitary items at school.

Adelaide private schools have rallied together to help not-for-profit organisation, KickStart for Kids (KSFK), in their fight against period poverty in South Australia. Walford Anglican School for Girls, St Dominics Priory College, Cabra Dominican College, St Michael’s College, Westminster, Loreto College, Wilderness School, and all-boys school Rostrevor College have come together and are running fundraising drives to raise money and donate sanitary products for other students in need.

Running for its third consecutive year, the number of school’s participating in the drive has grown from one in 2022, to five in 2023, to now eight, showing the increase of awareness, support and generosity in the community.

KickStart for Kids founder, Ian Steel, and the charity’s period poverty ambassadors, including TikTok personality, Jenna with the Pink, AFLW PAFC start, Matilda Scholz, and long-term volunteer, Olivia Steel, have visited each of the college’s and addressed both students and teachers about the cause and their mission at their assemblies. These assemblies have been accompanied by a sanitary product drive, with students and teachers being able to donate products in the special KSFK Against Period Poverty donation bins.

Ian has been thrilled to see the increase in support for the cause. “It’s been great to see the growth in the school’s participating in the fundraising drive over the years, and we’ve managed to raise around 15,000 sanitary products as a result.

“The fact that we started with one and now have eight on board is amazing, and we are particularly grateful that all-boys school Rostrevor has come on board for the second year in a row. It’s important to get the lads involved in the cause as well and get them understanding the struggles that girls who are less privileged than them sometimes have to face.

“We’ve already received calls from the schools to come and collect the products because they’ve already filled their bins, which is great to see,” Ian said.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

The aim for this campaign is to raise $100,000 to help provide 25,000 packs of sanitary pads to over 2000 young South Australian women to help manage their periods for 12 months.

The program has grown rapidly and KickStart for Kids now provides 1000 packs of pads and 200 packs of tampons to 200 schools every month.

You can help a young South Aussie girl experiencing period poverty now by making a donation today.  Donations can be made via:

• Special donation boxes located across all 37 National Pharmacies stores in South Australia
• Dropping them off at the KSFK warehouse – 87 James Melrose Rd, Novar Gardens SA 5040
• For online monetary donations, please click link below

YOU CAN DONATE HERE

Kickstart for Kids is a not-for-profit organisation founded in 2009 by Ian Steel that helps disadvantaged school children in South Australia by providing 50,000 breakfasts and 10,000 lunches every week.

*Source: 2020 Sanitary Survey Short Report: Impact of Periods on School Students in South Australia by the Commissioner of Children and Young People.

For more information and all enquiries please visit the Kickstart Against Period Poverty website.

At Play & Go Adelaide we make every effort to provide accurate information to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication. We recommend confirming times, dates and details directly before making any plans as details may be subject to change.

Image Source: images supplied (Image credit: One Cast Media)

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