The Pad Princess is tackling period poverty in Johannesburg by distributing helpful hygiene packs to make sure young ladies can do all the things they love.
Gauteng, South Africa (13 July 2021) – You know how confetti gets everywhere, stuck to everything and you seem to find it months after it was used? Well, that’s the perfect analogy for kindness. Kindness should be everywhere, stuck on every person and found long after it was dispensed. While actual confetti isn’t great for the environment, kindness is great for everyone and everything.
A group called ‘Kindness like Confetti’ (KLC), based in Linden Gauteng, spreads kindness far and wide! They have a flagship project called ‘The Pad Princess’ which was created to combat period poverty in South Africa.
Research shows that one in seven South African school-going girls report not having enough sanitary products for each period in the past three months and that this lack of access to sanitary wear and adequate sanitation facilities can affect a girl’s attendance at school by 25% per year as a result.
“The Pad Princess collects and distributes all types of menstrual products with the aim of keeping girls in school. We provide free menstrual products to girls so they may increase their attendance at school. We work with dynamic organisations and schools in impoverished areas who help us reach those in need. We believe that the cost of hygiene products and the difficulties in managing periods play a key role in keeping girls out of school. Young girls can miss out on average of 2 1/2 months of education a year. Many families have to choose between buying pads or food – tough choices.”
The fact that young women and girls miss school due to not having access to sanitary products is mind-blowing. The Pad Princess is changing this and offering young ladies the opportunity to continue doing the things they love, like going to school and playing sports.
Sadly, due to the pandemic and the current level 4 restrictions in South Africa, they closed the organisation. This means no handouts of hygiene packs but they are still raising funds for when things go back to normal.
If you would like to support this cause, you can do so here.
*05 August 2021 update: The incredible initiative is open again!
The Pad Princess was only closed for the period that SA went to adjusted level 4 – we reopened on 26 July and are operating as usual. Thank you!