This organisation helps young women with disposable sanitary pads

The work done by Hlokomela to ensure that thousands of girl children and young women receive sanitary pads should be commanded.

The Limpopo-based organisation produces reusable sanitary pads to help families that can’t afford to buy the disposable ones – which are a bit expensive.

While working in most parts of the province, the organisation found that the other cause of absenteeism in schools in the area was that some of these learners couldn’t afford to buy hygiene products.

The team couldn’t let these children be denied an education because they couldn’t afford sanitary pads, so they started the project.

“Young girls skip school during their menstrual period because they can’t afford hygiene products. We provide washable, reusable pads to these girls so that they can stay in school,” said the organisation.

According to the organisation, the project will have a positive environmental impact because people will replace disposable sanitary pads with ones that are washable.

“This will decrease the amount of waste dumped in rivers and on land by replacing disposable sanitary pads with washable, reusable pads in 1600 homes. It will have a cost-saving effect for local young women and girls by eliminating the monthly expense of sanitary pads and tampons,” said the organisation.

The organisation added and said that the project will also uplift these young women by providing training and jobs for them to become seamstress

Before the organisation started working on the sanitary pad project, it had done numerous work on educating people about HIV and Aids and advocating for treatment to be made available freely in impoverished communities in Limpopo. It has won awards for the stellar job it is doing in empowering communities with resources and the right knowledge.

Editor’s note

Access to sanitary pads is still a struggle in South Africa as it is in other developing countries where high numbers of absenteeism in schools are credited to this. But this organisation is not letting more children lose out on their education because they can’t afford disposable sanitary pads – they are providing reusable ones to help those in need.

Description

The Limpopo-based organisation produces reusable sanitary pads to help families that can’t afford to buy the disposable ones – which are a bit expensive.

Editor: Thato Mahlangu

Project Manager: Anirle De Meyer