A Birmingham-based health equity charity is appealing for help after its founder was left storing all donated menstrual products at her own home, with pallet loads of pads creating a 'barrier' to the organisation's work.
Charity's storage crisis
For 14 years, Cysters has been fighting for menstrual and maternal health, aiming to build a future where these issues are seen not just as medical problems but as matters of dignity, equity and liberation. As part of its support, the charity distributes menstrual products across the city to those in need.
Founder and CEO Neelam Heera-Shergill told BirminghamLive that because the charity lacks its own operational space, she 'constantly has pallet loads of pads' at her home, to the point where it becomes a barrier to the work they do.
"We don't have a physical space where we can store products," Neelam said. "Right now they [the menstrual products] come to my personal address and I have to distribute them out. It's really difficult because we don't have a physical space for them."
Impact on daily life and operations
Neelam recounted an anecdote from the earlier days of the charity when she lived in a flat, with herself and her husband 'never able to get through the flat door because of the period products stacked up.'
She continued: "What makes it difficult is I can't just give my address out to everybody. It's a lot. My husband does a lot of driving around [for pick ups and drop offs] and that's not sustainable - but we've made it work."
"I think that is actually a barrier sometimes, because if you imagine, when we get a pallet load in, it goes out straight away because we have to get it out and I can't keep it all here. But if we had a storage space, it would be a bit easier for people who need it. We could have more products that would last us rather than being like an emergency drop off."
Appeal for community support
Neelam appealed to anyone who might have a physical space the charity could use. "If anybody wants to do that bit of work and give us some storage space, we will happily take it," she said.
Those who would like to donate to Cysters' cause can do so through the website. Brummies wishing to donate menstrual products are advised to collect them together in, for example, a 'bin liner full.'
