Join STBB this Women’s Month on a nationwide campaign to combat period poverty by collecting sanitary pads for school girls in need. Help us empower young girls and restore their dignity.
In recognition of Women’s Month, STBB is proud to have launched a nationwide sanitary pad collection drive as part of our ongoing commitment to our community service initiatives.
Under the banner of STBB4Good, the campaign aims to support and empower girls in need and promote menstrual dignity by helping to address period poverty, a socio-cultural and economic challenge that continues to affect hundreds of thousands of schoolgirls across South Africa.
Conceptually-speaking, period poverty refers to the lack of access to affordable menstrual products, adequate water and sanitation facilities, and health education – a phenomenon often exacerbated by the stigma of menstruation. Globally, it is estimated that 500 million women, girls, and non-binary persons experience period poverty every month. For many girls, period poverty goes beyond inconvenience:
It is a consistent barrier to education and future opportunities. Without access to sanitary pads, learners are forced to miss school during their menstrual cycles, which causes them to fall behind academically and, in some cases, increases their risk of dropping out altogether. Indeed, more than one third of girls in South Africa miss a week of school every month because of the constraints created by period poverty. Worse still, approximately 3 000 schools lack basic sanitation and hygiene facilities, such as running water and functioning toilets.
