Vending

South Africa dads tackle period poverty with sanitary pad vending machines

Photo: Adobe Stock

June 14, 2024

A group of dads in South Africa worked with the MENstruation Foundation to come up with a solution to the lack of access to sanitary pads for school girls, according to a report by The Citizen.

Vending machines located in schools will now offer sanitary pads to students.

The machines are stocked with high-quality and locally made sanitary towels and operate on a token system. A designated teacher provides tokens to girls each month and the students can use the tokens to access the sanitary towels from the vending machines located in the school bathrooms.

According to the report, three of 10 school-aged girls in South Africa miss a week of school each month because they cannot afford menstrual hygiene products. This amounts to more than four million young women in schools and sports clinics missing an average of five days of school or training a month because of lack of access.

"We believe in the power of education and the right of every girl to attend school without interruption. The MENstruation Foundation's work is critical in ensuring that no girl misses out on learning due to period poverty," Martin Bester, host of Jacaranda FM's Breakfast show, told the news outlet. "I am incredibly proud to be part of this initiative, and I urge everyone to contribute and make a tangible difference in these young girls' lives."