Aequalitatem collective was founded during the wave of autumn demonstrations after the tightening of the anti-abortion law in Poland. Sonia (initiator of local protests), Donata (teacher) and Maria (former nurse) decided to redirect the energy of this mobilization to support persons at risk of exclusion. They organize free medical consultations for persons who urgently need them, tutoring for children with difficulties at school, and help for people in a difficult life situation. “For us, feminism means equality, and this is what we fight for through every action we take in Krotoszyn,” say Sonia, Maria and Donata.

In January, they organized the first aid point in Krotoszyn for people suffering from menstrual poverty – a metal box with free hygiene products hangs on the Town Hall in Krotoszyn. “In Poland, it is still a taboo subject, and the ones who suffer the most are teenagers who do not have the resources to buy the necessary articles and who sometimes miss lessons during their period. It takes a lot of courage and self-confidence to ask for help in a situation like this. We want no one to feel the shame because they are menstruating”.

A menstrual help point at every school

Therefore, using the funds from the mini-grant, the collective plans to establish a menstrual help point in every school in the municipality. Thanks to FemFund’s support, boxes stocked for several months will be delivered to the facilities in Krotoszyn. However, the members of the group want a deeper change: they hope that thanks to a promotional and educational campaign they will be able to change the attitudes of the local community. “In the fight against exclusion, nothing works as effectively as learning to be radically empathetic towards another person and speaking out loud about the existing social problems”.

Grant amount: PLN 2,500.00

Photos: Aequalitatem – a collective for equal opportunities