Period Poverty Project @ CUE

The Cause

The Period Poverty Project is a volunteer student-run initiative that seeks to provide free menstruation products to all students, employees, and visitors at Concordia University of Edmonton (CUE). The Peer Wellness and Support Team, in partnership with CUE Wellness and the Concordia Students’ Association, are striving to remove barriers to accessing menstruation products by having baskets filled with products in bathrooms around campus. The menstruation stations currently contain cotton pads and tampons and are refilled weekly. They also have the contact information for the Period Poverty Project team where empty baskets can be reported.

Menstruation products continue to be taxed as a luxury in Canada and are increasingly becoming more expensive. A 2018 Planned International study concluded that one-third of people who menstruate under the age of 25 struggle to purchase period supplies every month. Improper period hygiene, such as leaving a cotton tampon in for longer than 8 hours, can lead to a range of health complications, including infection, lower reproductive tract problems, and even death. Concordia’s Period Poverty Project seeks to provide a reliable source of menstruation products in an effort to address this community need.

Who Will it Benefit?

Concordia University of Edmonton is home to approximately 3000 students at both the graduate and undergraduate level and 750 employees. Students have a variety of learning opportunities available to them, including 45 disciplines, varsity athletics, and internships and placements. Concordia strives to support its diverse student population that includes a vast array of cultures, ages, abilities. CUE is proud to be able to educate individuals from a variety of backgrounds and considers its sense of community to be one of its greatest assets.
Providing low-barrier access to free menstruation products will support individuals with varying socioeconomic status and may directly impact up to 2000 people per semester.