Actor and comedian Siv Ngesi’s Menstruation Foundation, in collaboration with the University of the Western Cape, has started the first of its nationwide Student on the Go Programmes, aimed at providing free sanitary pads to young ladies across the country.
The launch took place at the university’s main campus in Bellville, just days ahead of Women’s Day, which will be observed on the 9th of August.
The university has installed fourteen vending machines across campus where students can have access to sanitary pads with a simple insert of a token.
Included in this initiative are four other universities which have been earmarked. This will see them provide young women with over two million sanitary towels a year, with 8000 being at UWC.
Speaking to public broadcaster, SABC News, Siv, who is the co-founder of the Menstruation Foundation, explained that the main objective is to end period poverty.
“The mission is to make sure every young woman has access to sanitary pads. 22 million women bleed every single month. Eight million of them cannot afford to buy pads, and four million of them are in universities and at schools. Our mission is to make sure everyone has access to pads and is not missing school. Women who cannot afford pads miss up to four days of school a month.”
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Vice Chancellor Robert Balfour has welcomed the initiative and says that the students’ inability to afford pads has devastating effects on their ability to learn and concentrate in the lecture halls. This, he says, ultimately affects their academic progress.
“So this initiative is part of our academic journey, and I think of it as part of student success. When students feel they are able to bring their full selves into the environment without barriers like this, then we reach full academic potential,” the Vice-Chanchellor concluded.
Also see:Siv Ngesi launches affordable sanitary product brands
