Challenge

In South Africa, in the impoverished area of Limpopo, we find underprivileged girls and young women are struggling with their menstruation cycles. Many are too poor to afford hygiene products each month. There is also the environmental factor of non-reusable pads being thrown into the rivers and land, as this part of rural Limpopo has no trash collection.

Solution

We aim to provide reusable/washable sanitary pads, produced by the Hlokomela Sewing Project using local women as seamstresses. We have an existing network for distribution as our not-for-profit medical clinics reach more than 20000 young women and girls annually. These pads will have a long operational use, therefore it will cut down on discarded disposable pads as non-recyclable, and hazardous, waste in the community.

Long-Term Impact

The project will have a positive environmental impact because it will decrease the amount of waste dumped in rivers and on land by replacing disposable sanitary pads with washable, reusable pads in 1600 homes. It will have a cost-saving effect for local young women and girls by eliminating the monthly expense of sanitary pads and tampons. The project will also uplift these young women by providing training and jobs for them to become seamstresses.

Additional Documentation

This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).

Resources