# National charity body leads the way in fighting period poverty

The umbrella organisation representing charities in Scotland is to provide free sanitary products to all staff, tenants and visitors to their buildings, as part of the wider campaign to end period poverty in Scotland. As of this week the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) will provide free sanitary pads and tampons in each of its buildings across Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness. This will not only benefit SCVO staff but also the staff and volunteers of the various charities which are based in the organisation’s five offices, and those visiting the premises. The move comes ahead of the introduction of the Sanitary Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Bill,  which will introduce a legal duty on the Scottish Government to develop a universal system in Scotland which will provide free sanitary products for anyone who needs them – including in schools, colleges and universities. The term ‘period poverty’ has become a key topic amongst organisations which work to eradicate poverty and challenge gender inequalities. [A recent study by Plan International UK](https://plan-uk.org/media-centre/40-of-girls-have-used-toilet-roll-because-theyve-struggled-to-afford-sanitary-wear) found 45% of respondents living in Scotland said they have been forced to use makeshift sanitary wear including socks or newspapers because they have struggled to buy products. SCVO Chief Executive Anna Fowlie said: “Monica Lennon MSP has done a great job highlighting period poverty as a serious issue for women and girls across Scotland that we can all do something to address.  Our buildings are used by lots of people across the voluntary sector, and I’m very pleased that SCVO is playing its own part.”

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## About SCVO

SCVO (Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations) is the national membership organisation for Scotland's voluntary sector.

Our role is to champion the role of voluntary organisations in Scotland and to support them to do work that has a positive impact.

SCVO supports members and the wider voluntary sector with all aspects of setting up and running a voluntary organisation. SCVO represents the needs and concerns of the voluntary sector to the Scottish government in Holyrood and UK government and Westminster. Through our learning and events programme SCVO offers training and development opportunities to the sector.

Members access an extensive membership benefits package including specialist, in-depth, 1-to-1 guidance from our Information Services team and from professional service partners.

Access to exclusive membership networks (including comms, employers, governance and policy) supports members to grow their connections, stay up to date, exchange ideas and views with peers, and learn through tailored learning opportunities.

SCVO members enjoy free access to Funding Scotland Premium to stay on top of funding opportunities to support their organisation’s financial resilience.

Discounts and savings on SCVO products and services (including our HR service, managed IT support, payroll service and events and training) and partner offers provide members with support to allow them to focus on delivering their organisation’s goals. Further SCVO products and services include [extensive digital support](https://scvo.scot/support/digital), a climate action resource [Growing Climate Confidence](https://climateconfident.scot), a voluntary sector publication [Third Force News](https://tfn.scot) and a voluntary sector jobs and recruitment service [Goodmoves](https://goodmoves.org).

For more information on SCVO membership, visit [SCVO membership](https://scvo.scot/membership)