Essentials for Women was ‘accidently’ founded in October 2014 by Lenny Jacoby, following a conversation with a friend around the need for sanitary items and basic toiletries for homeless women in Perth. Lenny set up a Facebook event to invite 60 of her friends to donate women’s underwear and sanitary products. Within 48 hours, the event had gone viral and had been sent out to over 67,000 people. To date, Essentials for Women has provided over 102,000 items to women in need in Perth and regional WA.
In Perth there are 9592 homeless people every night. Forty-four percent of these people are women who are in need of this support. All items collected by Essentials for Women are distributed directly to women in need at events for homeless and through other not-for-profit organisations in Perth.
At Essentials for Women, we believe that: Every woman has the right to access sanitary product; Essential toiletry items are exactly that, essential, not a luxury; By making essential items accessible to women in need, their dignity as a woman is protected.