Contending with fidgety, distracted children is standard practice for teachers. But it was the reason why one particular child couldn’t focus that changed everything for deputy head-teacher Rebekah Wilson.
“A boy in my class didn’t seem his normal happy self and he couldn’t concentrate for scratching his stomach,” Rebekah Wilson, 33 years old, is known as Bex. “He told me he didn’t have a bed at home, and the cushion he shared with his brother to sleep on was infested with bed bugs.”
Bex, who is a primary school teacher in Leeds’ inner city, realized the importance of hygiene for her students and their education.
“Times are hard for some families who are having to choose what they can do without,” She says. “Hygiene items often get sacrificed. We’re not talking luxuries here, just the absolute basics like toilet roll, shampoo, deodorant, shower gel and soap.
“Going without these things affects kids’ self-esteem. Imagine what it’s like if you can’t keep yourself clean or you don’t have clean clothes? It can really stop children learning, engaging and taking part at school and it can lead to bullying or them being singled out.”
Happily there’s an organisation that’s helping to relieve the pressure. The Hygiene Bank, which stresses that being clean is a basic human right, collects new, unused, in-date personal care and household cleaning essentials and distributes them to families in need through schools like Bex’s and charities.
And Boots has been supporting The Hygiene Bank by hosting more than 400 banks in stores across the UK where customers can donate their own hygiene products. For every kilogram of donated product, the retailer donates four products.
Bex recognizes toothpaste and toothpaste as being particularly important. “So many children are coming to school with tooth problems now,” She says.
“Bad dental health can cause a lot of pain and distress and really affect children’s confidence.”
It is possible to improve the happiness and well-being of people struggling to keep their heads above water by using shampoo or shower gel. “I had a mum in tears the other day because we’d given her a hygiene package that included some shower gel. As little as a 75p bottle can make a difference. She said it felt like Christmas.”
Another mum had just £10 left for her weekly shopping. “She needed nappies, washing powder and washing up liquid. She didn’t know what to buy because she knew she couldn’t get it all.”
The Hygiene Bank in the UK helps to fill this gap. “We all deserve a certain minimum,” says Bex. “We need to ensure every family has access to these basics, and remove the stigma of asking for support, making sure that families are treated with respect.”
Boots leads big donation drive
Boots and charity The Hygiene Bank are working together to provide much-needed hygiene and personal care products to people living in poverty.
In the last year, Boots, which has more than 400 donation points in stores across the UK, has given more than 620,000 items – from toothpaste to shower gel, soap to shampoo – to hundreds of communities and charities across the UK.
The Hygiene Bank receives hygiene products from Boots. Boots believes that every child deserves to feel happy when they return to school. To help children understand hygiene and poverty, Boots also collaborated with The Hygiene Bank to create educational resources for teachers and parents. In its ‘You donate = we donate’ initiative, Boots gives four products for every kilogram of items donated to The Hygiene Bank in Boots stores.
You can donate at your Boots donation point or via the boots.com email voucher scheme. The products are distributed to people who require them through schools, charities and council services.
Milford on Sea Boots Store Manager Charlotte Whiteside says: “We’re very grateful for anything that our kind-hearted customers donate – but essentials include shampoo, toothpaste and sanitary products.”
- Shampoo
- Deodorant
- Toilet roll
- Period products
- Toothpaste
- Toothbrush
- Soap
- Nappies