Women in our own Australian backyard are going without basic toiletries. Accessibility to simple items like deodorant, shampoo and soap prove challenging when the closest store can be up to 1000km away. Some communities are at the end of 750km of harsh, red dirt roads. Others can be cut off by flood waters for months at a time. Some are only accessible via boat or plane. Some communities may be lucky enough to have a small store, but the prices of basic items are exuberant.

19% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are living in unacceptable living standards due to overcrowded housing and structural faults. The target released by the government in the recent Close the Gap Agreement is to ensure 88% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are living in housing of an acceptable standard by 2031. Whilst this would be an improvement, it still will not be on par with non-Indigenous people. Meanwhile there was no mention of the cost of living in remote communities nor any plan to further subsidise basic groceries so that people can afford to shop for their families in their community.

Happy Boxes and Tsuno believe this is unacceptable!

We want to send as many Happy Boxes filled with toiletries and self care products as possible. To provide women, regardless of their location and situation, the enjoyment of life’s necessities and luxuries that we regularly take for granted.

Matriarchs are the backbone of our communities, Mothers, Sisters, Aunties, Grandmothers; all trying to support their families in adverse circumstances, quite often pouring from an empty cup. If just one Happy Box can fill one person’s cup, then what we do is more than worthwhile.

The Happy Boxes Project aims to:

Support the empowerment of women through alleviating the barriers of accessing basic needs,

Provide opportunities for women to build capacity for individual and community development; and

Provide opportunities for women to share story and create connection to nurture positive mental health.

Your generous donations make ongoing menstrual dignity possible for these women. These product donations can be tax deductible through Happy Boxes, and all donations are sent directly to the Happy Boxes Hub to be distributed from there. Thank you!

Make a donation of Tsuno pads to Happy Boxes here.