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“Pads, Not Condoms, Should Be Free”: Ending Period Poverty
In many parts of South Africa, young girls struggle to take care of themselves while on their period. The inability to afford basic necessities like sanitary towels makes life difficult for them.
Menstrual hygiene, an important aspect of dignity and health remains overlooked, largely by those not directly affected. Individuals exposed to period poverty do not have sufficient access to healthcare and this impacts wellbeing.
In most cases, it has been found by teachers, friends and school staff that most girls do not use sanitary pads when they get their periods. They usually use a sock, toilet paper or an old t-shirt.
Other scenarios include a girl child being raised in a male dominated household, making it hard to experience womanhood freely. These girls barely feel comfortable sharing with male figures when in need of sanitary pads. A majority of females experience period pains, needing pills or injections from the doctor to ease the pain. Not getting any of these makes life terrible and exhausting. And as a result, up to five days of each month is spent feeling like this, missing out on school or work.
Menstrual awareness
Campaigns in support of young girls therefore seen growing, companies and individuals venture into campaigns, visiting schools to donate sanitary pads and other related necessities. An example, in the East London, Eastern Cape, a small company called Bumbi’ngomso went to surrounding schools to make donations. This is one of the companies that believe that sanitary pads are meant to be free, not condoms. All these girls in need of sanitary pads cannot fully embrace womanhood.
One prominent male figure in this is Neo Cholo, a young entrepreneur, the founder and CEO of Mosetsana Pads from a township, Mamelodi in Pretoria, saw the need to take action and make a girl child’s life easy and worth living. Neo mentions the struggles he witnessed girls in different townships go through. He mentions that if men got a period, pads would have been free, so why can’t girls get pads for free. He believes women have to get the best in life and better care on their periods.
Neo has initiated helping the girl child in society, working with other companies he has managed to bring his ideas around period poverty and period education. Neo has lived his teenage life protecting the girl child from shame, disgrace and the traumas of period poverty and he continues to do so.
Neo leaves an important message to men; to make every woman around you happy because they go through a lot, whether it is your partner, your relative or a friend. He also says that men should play a huge role in making women feel less pain and discomfort on their periods.
South Africa needs to have different approaches to these societal issues to make our country a better place for all women and young girls who live in it.
Menstrual hygiene day is on the 28th of May and leading a purposeful life starts with offering a safe and period poverty free world for the girl child.
