A SOCIAL enterprise tackling period poverty is celebrating after the Co-op started selling its sanitary products.
Hey Girls sells its products on a “buy one, give one” model – meaning for every pack purchased, another is donated to a girl or woman in the UK in need.
Following a £50,000 investment from the Big Issue Invest (BII) Power Up programme, its “Sani pads” and menstrual cups can now be found in 184 Co-op stores across the UK.
READ MORE: Social enterprise Hey Girls launches period education drive
The news was announced as BII launched its investment programme for 2019 at the Co-op in Frederick Street, Edinburgh.
Celia Hodson, who founded Hey Girls with her daughters Kate and Becky, said: “Gaining a listing in one of the world’s largest consumer co-operatives, owned by millions of members, gives us a real buzz.
“Co-op customers selecting a Hey Girls product in-store know the more period products we sell, the more period products we can donate to their local community.
“Box for box. Simple – that’s why we’re different from all the other product manufacturers and why our values align completely with the Co-op.”
Power Up Scotland, pioneered by BII, is funded by partners Aberdeen Standard Investments, the University of Edinburgh, the Scottish Government, Brodies LLP, Places for People, and Experian.
It is aimed at enabling up to 20 Scottish social ventures to access loan funding of up to £50,000 over the next two years.
BII chief executive Danyal Sattar said: “We’re really proud to have supported such a dynamic social enterprise.
“It’s fantastic to see how the Power Up programme has made a crucial difference to social ventures such as Hey Girls.”
Hey Girls is a supplier in the Scottish Government’s initiative to provide access to free sanitary products to pupils and students.
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