A small South African town has installed a sanitary pad vending machine; tackling period poverty and providing free sanitary products to all the women in the community. We hope the rest of South Africa is listening!
Western Cape, South Africa (25 April, 2023) — Tackling period poverty is no small endeavour, despite it being one of the most important. Globally, it’s believed that as many as 500 million people lack access to sanitary products, with the cost factor contributing greatly to that number.
If you don’t live in Scotland, (which made history in a world-first effort to make sanitary products free for all) free sanitary products aren’t that easy to come by; which is where community heroes step in.
Meet the Small Town Making a Big Difference for Women!
In the small town of Aurora on the West Coast, a quest to end period poverty for menstruators in the community came about.
As part of a brilliant project, they’ve come up with a free sanitary pad vending machine installed at a local library—the heart of the tight-knight community made up of roughly 800 residents.
This collaborative effort between Aurora-Rietvlei Solar Power and the Menstruation Foundation will ensure that no woman in Aurora goes without the essential sanitary products she needs.
The vending machine is located in the library’s bathroom, stocked monthly with locally-manufactured and compostable sanitary towels.
Here, women receive tokens to access the pads at no cost, ensuring that young girls and women have a sufficient supply throughout the year. Better yet? Loadshedding can’t impact the vending machine’s mission, as the machines don’t require electricity.
Part and parcel of the initiative is a goal to support equal access to education, so reducing the stress caused by monthly cycles and sanitary product acces is a huge win that many people can nod in agreement of.
Further, young girls in the community also received support in the form of an educational talk on feminine hygiene and menstruation—an endeavour that’s all important for girls who are often left to figure it out for themselves.
As with the municipal library, the vending machines have been placed at Diazville Senior Secondary and MiddelPos Primary schools.
South African decision-makers and leaders? We hope you took notes.
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