Period poverty is a harsh reality that many South African girls and women have to contend with monthly. Retailer, Game Stores, have launched their Great Value Sanitary Pads range, which will cost R7.99 for a pack of eight.
According to a study conducted by the University of Stellenbosch, 30% of girls miss school while on their periods, resulting in a constantly increasing percentage of absenteeism among girls in school.
Another poll discovered that 7.7 million of the country’s 22 million menstruating women and young girls lacked the means to purchase sanitary products.
According to Game Stores, this strategy is aligned to effectively address consumer price concerns.
“One in four learners miss school each month due to a lack of access to sanitary pads. Many learners resort to improvised solutions such as the use of old towels, cardboard, newspaper and socks. We therefore decided to act to tackle this problem,” said Samantha Pillay, a buyer at Game.
In addition to the individual Great Value Sanitary Pad packs, Game is selling a bulk pack with 12 packs of eight pads for only R60. This bulk offer lowers the cost to R5 per pack, making it extremely affordable for users to acquire a year’s supply, claimed the retailer.
Candice Chirwa, an activist who has been dubbed “SA’s Minister of menstruation”, has made it her life’s work to help end period poverty (when those on low incomes can't afford or access suitable period products) and help remove the societal stigmas that surround menstruation.
“There are so many menstruators that will resort to using unhygienic materials to go about their day-to-day activities, and this should not be the case,” Chirwa told IOL.
She would also like to see paid period leave in South Africa, citing Japan, which implemented the legislation over a century ago, in 1920.
Another way to fight period poverty is through education and raising awareness.
LoveLife Trust (loveLife), in collaboration with the United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF), has developed the Oky App, a menstrual health and period tracker application to help individuals learn more and be aware of their bodies.
“There are continuous challenges such as the lack of access to clean or consistent running water and appropriate bathing facilities, further exacerbating stigmatisation. Poverty in most parts of our country makes it challenging for some parents and girls to afford sanitary towels.
“Studies such as the one conducted by MIET Africa assert that absenteeism can often be due to period-related pain and general feelings of being unwell, as well as fear of leakage of menstrual blood, especially when there is limited access to menstrual products,” said the acting chief executive of loveLife, Dr Doreen Kosi.
IOL News