14 minute read
SPOTLIGHT FEATURE
Bleeding shouldn’t be limiting As girls we’ve all had that dreaded day when your period starts randomly and you’re without your trusted pad or tampon.
If in public you’ll signal a girl – any girl – and a perfect stranger handing you much needed coverage becomes a life saver in an instant. That time of the month comes with a physical and emotional rollercoaster, and ice-cream, chocolate, sleep, hot water bottles and baths or simply laying on the floor become common place. Now, imagine that whole experience without those added comforts and more than that, without access to basic sanitary wear or even water to freshen up.
Advertisement
Most of us would opt to stay home on our worst period day, but for millions of women around the world staying home is their only option. A combination of social stigma and the inevitability of bleeding out while at school create a barrier and lock these women out from opportunity, human dignity and freedom. According to Act!onaid, most girls miss about 20% of the school year while others drop out altogether, with many not affording to purchase menstruation products or a lack of private and safe toilets at school.
“Period poverty is already a reality for women and girls living in poor, rural and marginalized communities. Covid19 has increased exposed existing inequalities and further worsened this issue. The need to address menstrual health in society has become more important than ever. Overall, it affects societal development and the potential for economic growth. But most importantly, access to menstrual products every month will take away the stress and worry from every girl and woman each month and it will enhance their chances of living out their purpose in everyday life”. - Sarah Jacobs
Another component of this topic is the environmental impact of menstruation products. We’re spotlighting women making a difference for girls and breaking barriers by ending the stigma, educating women on basic hygiene and creating access to education and opportunities through innovative, affordable and more sustainable products. Here are six impact businesses making a difference.
CLICK TO SUPPORT
GREENER SOLUTION TO SANITARY PADS
What does your business do?
We manufacture and distribute washable sanitary pads
Why did you start this business?
We recognised a growing need in communities for a greener more sustainable solution to menstrual challenges
Estimated impact so far?
We have distributed over 29 000 packs to date - this represents over 25 million disposable pads. Our pads will last approximately 48 months making it a truly sustainable solution
What keeps you going?
Changing people’s attitudes to menstruation, menstrual health and products. Understanding that it is up to us to change the world, alleviate period poverty and support the green economy. Ensuring that our sewers earn in these difficult times.
Where do you operate?
Our incubator is in Pretoria and head office in Johannesburg. We distribute country wide and have distributed packs in some SADEC countries.
Support our initiatives by participating in one of the current campaigns. Find out more on www.dignitydreams.com/how-tohelp . We sell online or contact us on info@dignitydreams. com for more information. Don’t forget to participate, like, share and subscribe to our social media pages for news on all our initiatives.
CLICK TO SUPPORT
What does your
business do?
MoonTime is a registered (Pty) Ltd. that produces beautiful high quality handmade reusable sanitary pads using 100% cotton fabrics and works in partnership with MoonTime Community NPC which distributes buckets of pads to communities and provides educational workshops.
Why did you start this business?
I wanted to make a difference - being an earth warrior, the environment has always been close to my heart so when my close friend came to me with the reusable pads, I jumped at the opportunity to start a heart based business with a product that would help the earth, women and create awareness around the sacredness of bleeding.
That’s a tricky question! We have sold close to 7000 pads and distributed many more since we started which has kept many disposable pads out of the landfills. MoonTime has created much awareness, and is slowly but surely changing mindsets and making a difference one pad at a time.
What keeps you going?
Knowing that the world needs MoonTime, focusing on the impact that we are making and trusting that we will be supported every step of the way.
Where do you operate?
Wilderness in The Garden Route
How/ where can people sign up for your programme, buy your product/service/ register with you?
Our website has lots of info about who we are and what we are all about. Our reusable pads are available from our online shop and in store nationwide (listed on our stockists page). Our community page on the website shares about MoonTime Community NPC, our community projects and gives donating options. Please do not hesitate to contact us directly for more information.
CLICK TO SUPPORT
Inequality, GBV and Period poverty
In South Africa, women and girls face many battles daily. Woman’s Warehouse has identified 3 areas that affect them dramatically
South Africa has one of the highest rates of violence against women and girls in the world, and a femicide rate that is five times the global average, with an estimated 12 in 100, 000 victims each year. South Africa’s gender-based violence statistics are equal to a country at war. Not only do South African woman and girls have to face GBV but they face discrimination in health related issues like menstruation. Period poverty is a real issue in our country with the latest statistic indicating that 30% of woman and girls do not go to work and school because of their menstrual cycle.
Woman’s Warehouse’s mandate is to eradicate Inequality, GBV and Period Poverty in South Africa. We believe that these issues are far worse than us facing the current COVID-19 pandemic. Woman’s Warehouse is tackling these issues head on and taking it to corporates across South Africa through our Non-Profit organisation Cletech Cares.
Corporates can now make an impact and difference in woman and girls lives by putting their CSI spend to good use.
Woman Warehouse has the framework that provides the possibility of ensuring that a culture of equal worth and the right to human dignity is fostered through the principle of nondiscrimination in the areas of gender, safety, and intimate health.
We offer safety and intimate health workshops that uplift, educate and empower woman and girls in these areas. Through this we can positively effect communities and our country as a whole.
Unfortunately we cannot do this on our own and are calling on all corporates to invest in the safety and wellbeing of their staff by rolling out these workshops throughout the year.
CLICK TO SUPPORT
KNOWLEDGE & RESOURCES TO END PERIOD POVERTY
The CORA Project (CORA) is a womenled non-profit whose mission is to support menstruators from underprivileged communities in South Africa by providing them with the knowledge and resources to end period poverty. Through educating communities on menstruation, raising awareness and encouraging discussions around periods, CORA seeks to normalise the rhetoric around periods, and eliminate period stigma and shaming.
Why did you start this business?
To empower and educate menstruators, and to keep them in school so that they can reach their potential.
Estimated impact so far?
So far we have supported over 20,000 menstruators.
What keeps you going?
Our community and our mission.
Where do you operate?
Cape Town and surrounds for now. We plan on expanding across SA in the near future
How/ where can people sign up for your programme, buy your product/service/ register with you?
Spread the word; share our content; start conversations around periods to normalise period talk, so we can end the stigma and shame around periods! Keep an eye on our page for opportunities. You can donate via our website or message us for any product drop offs!
PROJECTS
#RUNFORHERSA
In August 2020, for Women’s Health month, we hosted a virtual run to end period poverty. We asked our community to accept the challenge of running towards combatting period poverty and pledging to donate R10 for every 1km they complete. Together we raised over R290 000, which we used to fund our menstrual health workshop.
Menstrual Health Workshops
We collaborated with SafePad South Africa to host a series of menstrual health workshops across various schools and communities in and around Cape Town.
We taught both girls and boys about menstruation, menstrual health and period positivity - we believe it is essential to include boys and men in conversations about periods and menstruation.
We also provided menstruators that attended the sessions with SafePads, a reusable, sustainable and eco-friendly pad that will allow them to menstruate with dignity for the next 5 years.
Christmas Gift Boxes 2020
In December 2020, we collaborated with Future Females Foundation to gift 100 women in various shelters across Cape Town Christmas gift boxes. With the support and donations from our beautiful community each box contained menstrual products, sweets, chocolate, tea bags, stickers, nail polish, soap and other goodies. We distributed them to Saartjie Baartman Centre, Haven Night Shelter and St. Anne’s Home to spread the Christmas love.
Aurora Marcopoulos and Cleo Marcopoulos - Sisters and Founders
The CORA Project
CLICK TO SUPPORT
BUILDING RESILIENCE AND BRINGING PEACE
What does your business do?
Through SAAGE, we focus on linking people to products and processes that contribute to building resilience and bring peace of mind to everyday life challenges.
My work has for the past decade been in communities on the Cape Flats primarily focused on educating and creating awareness on reproductive health and hygiene and creating access to sustainable menstrual products in schools, child and youth care centers and NGOs.
My experiences have inspired me to find solutions to the prevailing problem of “period poverty” — a term commonly used to describe the experiences of women and girls who do not have access to menstrual management products and hygienic spaces in which to use them because of their socio-economic conditions.
I have over the years, sampled a range of ecofriendly products and compared them in terms of durability, convenience and hygiene to come up with a clear winner: Safepad™.
This reusable pad is designed with anti-microbial technology to kill bacteria, thus preventing infections.
I now distribute Safepad across South Africa both on a communtiy outreach basis to alleviate the issue of period poverty, but also making Safepad accessible via online platforms such as Takealot.com and retail stores.
My mission is to make Safepad available to all menstruating women across the country.
Why did you start this business?
During the past decade of working as an outreach nurse in the communities I have engaged in countless conversations with youth, staff and community members and kept hearing about the same issue;
Our women and girls cannot afford proper menstrual products, girls are staying home from school and work. Girls are repeatedly getting infections, they are using rags, toilet paper, socks etc.
Teachers are spending their own salaries to provide their students with pads. The menstrual cycle is the most natural part of being female and these conversations keep pushing me to do the best I can to alleviate the issue of period poverty and create awareness about it.
Estimated impact so far?
So far we have reached about 3000 women across South Africa with Safepads.
What keeps you going?
No girl, no woman should have to worry about how to manage her period any given month.
I am driven to change the unfortunate reality, which period poverty is for so many in South Africa. When I am out distributing Safepads, eduacting people on menstrual health, people are opening up to me about this subject which can be intimate and difficult for many to discuss.
I feel very humbled to have the opportunity to have these engagements in the communtities and with girls and women from all kinds of walks in life.
To know that I am creating access to this long lasting, safe and hygienic menstrual product to those who want it and giving them an opportunity to feel safe and alleviate an issue that has been a point of stress and worry for so many, keeps me going.
Sarah Jacobs
Founder of Saage
Where do you operate?
Across South Africa. To reach as far as possible and to make as large an impact as possible, we collaborate with individuals, NGO’s and other initiatives across the country.
In terms of retail, I am also working on reaching out to retailers across the country.
Get in touch either via email: sarah@ saage.co.za or check out the website for donation options or various ways of supporting.
For wholesale purchases, bulk etc please contact me directly on my email or call 0739942569.
For personal use, Safepad can be purchased from Nude Foods (Cape Town), www.shopzero.co.za, Organic Living (Cape Town) and www.Takealot.com
CURATING CRITICAL THINKING
Candice Chirwa
What does your business do?
Qrate is an NPC focused on curating critical thinking in young people through educational publications and workshops on social issues.
Why did you start this business?
The majority of young people lack the essential skills necessary to critically engage with socio-economic issues that they encounter daily. However, within the context of South Africa’s complex social and economic challenges, resilience in changing the narrative is an important virtue. At Qrate, we are focused on ensuring that young people are equipped with a platform that provides knowledge to help shape their understanding of their society to allow them to engage about the issues affecting them which helps to navigate and make meaningful impacts within their communities. Qrate is dedicated to creating informative content through service, education and advocacy work on a wide range of diverse social topics. With regards to the Menstruation workshops, whilst doing my Masters research, I came across a lot of information that suggested that a lot of young people felt like they were going to die when they first started menstruating. Thus, it was important to take my academic research and my love for critical thinking to create fun and dynamic workshops.
Estimated impact so far?
In response to period poverty, Qrate has interacted with over 300 participants in Gauteng alone in the year 2019 and over 150 participants in the year 2020 in an effort to change the societal narrative regarding Menstruation.
What keeps you going?
I love experiencing the feeling that young girls and young people are empowered and educated about a social issue. Witnessing this form of empowerment keeps me excited at the possibility of empowering more and more communities.
Where do you operate?
Our office is based in Johannesburg; however we conduct our workshops wherever we can.
How/ where can people sign up for your programme, buy your product/service/ register with you?
People can follow us on social media and if they’d like for us to host a menstruation workshop, they can email us at
