Last week, Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) took to Instagram to announce they had successfully lobbied College to double institutional funding allocated for period products.
In 2024 the Higher Education Authority (HEA) allocated €22,000 to College in order to tackle the issue of period poverty.
Prior to this, College had refused to provide further funding which TCDSU said “led to a decline in period product trials previously done by TCDSU”.
Speaking to Trinity News TCDSU President Jenny Maguire said: “This win reflects the collective efforts of previous SU Officers, multiple other groups, and any person who believes people who get a period shouldn’t be stranded without basic necessities.”
Maguire stated that in her first meeting with Provost Linda Doyle this year she made “the simple demand that college must match the 22,000 provided by Government for period products”. She went on to say “now, we have achieved it”.
“College’s initial proposal of having 7 locations meant that college would facilitate a service that did less than a previous TCDSU trial run – and we simply could not accept that”.
“The very existence of period poverty speaks to the disproportionate effects of poverty on women and marginalised people”, she said.
Maguire detailed how “The agreement by the provost will see an expansion to ten locations, a doubling in funding and an immediate launch of the products across campus” noting that “more work is needed to make sure this initiative can benefit those no matter what bathroom they are in, but I am so glad to see this up off the ground”.
She concluded by thanking the Provost for making this executive decision calling it “a welcome step in making the college work for us all”.
In a statement to Trinity News, Welfare and Equality Officer Hamza Bana said “It’s been a long time coming for Trinity to fund this initiative”.
“From dealing with stagnant players, to constantly repeating ourselves like a broken record, to going back and forth with different people, the long fight for free period products has finally borne the fruits of our labour”.
“The voice of the students will never be silenced and will only get louder with every attempt of shutting us down. Yup de union”, he concluded.
When asked about the project, a spokesperson for College said: “This project is a collaboration between Healthy Trinity, TCDSU, and Estates and Facilities and comes as a result of lobbying by TCDSU and Healthy Trinity for free period products.
Government funding is covering €22,000 of the cost, with Trinity matching this funding”.
The free period product scheme was originally launched by TCDSU in March of 2023. It saw free period products made available in 10 bathrooms across campus and off-campus College locations.
The products were supplied by Irish brand We Are Riley, whose period products contain no harmful chemicals such as bleach or pesticides while also being biodegradable.
