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Period poverty: Bristol Uni student helps refugees

ELLA LAMBERT photo of Ella Lambert. She is wearing a blue floral top. She has dark brown hair.ELLA LAMBERT
Ella Lambert, 21 said she was inspired to start the project after years of "debilitating period pain".

A student who set up a not-for-profit project in lockdown has helped 3,000 refugees out of period poverty.

Ella Lambert, 21, who studies at the University of Bristol, launched the Pachamama Project last year.

The initiative which has 1,000 volunteers globally, makes and distributes reusable sanitary pads to refugees.

Miss Lambert said her next aim was to get schools across the UK making "Pacha Pads".

The student, who learnt to sew by watching stitching videos on YouTube, said after years of debilitating period pain - she wanted to help those who suffered similar symptoms but had "very different means".

'Struck a nerve'

Whilst at her family home in Chelmsford, Essex, during the first coronavirus lockdown, Miss Lambert designed the first pads and got in touch with numerous groups including sewing clubs and university societies.

"Things just spiralled really quickly", she said.

"It really struck a nerve and before long we had volunteers all over the world getting involved."

Using a pattern that has been updated several times over the last year, the volunteers cut and stitched "Pacha Pads" before sending them to her for distribution.

So far, 30,000 pads have been made and sent to refugees in countries including Greece, Lebanon and Syria.

ELLA LAMBERT Pictured are multiple reusable sanitary pads made by the volunteers of Pachamama.ELLA LAMBERT
So far, 3,000 refugees have received the "Pacha Pads"

Miss Lambert also developed a project where refugees in camps sewed the pads from donated material and sell them to non-governmental organisations for income.

She works on the not-for-profit project full time whilst studying for a languages degree and said: "Sometimes I have to check myself and realise what we have achieved - amongst a humanitarian crisis".

"I try to remember that you may not be able to save the whole world but you can give one person at a time the power to empower themselves", she added.

Miss Lambert said she had "seen the most horrific things" and wanted to "use the platform that Pachamama has built to speak out and advocate for refugees".

However, her real goal was to get schools around the UK making "Pacha Pads".

"Period poverty is everywhere but the stigma is ingrained in us. I think it's a fun, creative way of normalising it and feeling more comfortable about the subject."

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