How your old handbag can help the homeless.

When it comes to presents at Christmas time, women tend to do far more of the giving than receiving.

But across Australia there are tens of thousands of women who will spend Christmas homeless or in domestic violence shelters.

In early 2015, Rochelle Courtenay read an article by Mamamia entitled “It’s one of the hardest parts of being a homeless woman. But it’s rarely discussed.”

The piece outlined the indignities these women suffer during their monthly period, including having to clean themselves in public toilets and creating makeshift sanitary pads out of paper towels or newspaper.

Courtenay was shocked, and decided she would do something about it. She believes, as do we, that sanitary items should be a right, not a privilege.

Since March last year, Courtenay’s initiative Share the Dignity has collected over 400, 000 packets of pads and tampons to give to women in need.

This Christmas, Share the Dignity is launching their ‘It’s in the Bag’ campaign. The idea came to them when they realised that “we seem to manage the needs of children at Christmas, ensuring they’re cared for and made to feel special, but the same can’t always be said for those women who put the needs of others before their own. We wanted to make them feel special.”

So this Christmas, you can donate a handbag you no longer use, and fill it with items that would make a woman in need feel special. Share the Dignity suggest even adding a thoughtful note, to let Australia’s most vulnerable women know that we care, and that she matters. Some ideas include:

• Pads and tampons
• Cleaning wipes
• Deodorant
• Soap
• Shampoo and conditioner
• A toothbrush and toothpaste
• A hairbrush
• Sunscreen
• Socks and undies, plus many more…

You can put in as much or as little as you like, depending on your budget and imagination.

The annual campaign will run from Saturday 19th November to Saturday 3rd of December. The gifts will be delivered to women all over Australia, including remote areas.

So this Christmas, when we’re buying gifts for all the special people in our lives, let’s think about the women doing it tough.

To learn more about the ‘It’s in the Bag’ campaign, you can visit their website, here.

To learn more about Share the Dignity, you can visit their website, here.