Often, girls don’t even know that sanitary pads exist and use DRY LEAVES, SAND, CHICKEN FEATHERS, DUNG, BANANA SKINS, NEWSPAPERS or pieces from FOAM MATTRESSES to be able to attend school. At times they dig a hole at home and sit in it for the duration of their menstruation. UNICEF published reports on how girls are also forced into sex for sanitary pads so that they can attend school.

A large percentage of girls DROP OUT of school because of falling behind in their studies or from being ashamed to attend school after being teased by their piers from soiling their clothes with blood. The only option for them is then to marry and have children at such young ages, where mortality rate is very high in childbirth because of the lack of clinics, medicines, doctors or nurses, leaving aside the problems of HIV, infections, etc.

Something so simple as a sanitary pad kit can prevent so many issues and give a girl a choice to stay in school and have a better chance of a future.

A sanitary pad kit includes: 6 FABRIC REUSABLE PADS, 3 FABRIC REUSABLE PAD HOLDER, 1 PAIR OF UNDERWEAR, 1 SOAP and 1 TOWEL each kit costs $10.

Padding Africa started the campaign to raise money to help women and girls become self-sustainable, giving women the opportunity to work by buying the pads they make from the donations and sponsors and also giving the girls a solution to attend school by distributing the reusable sanitary pad kits on our trips.

 

Tanya Puncuh – Padding Africa founder

The Issue

Often, girls don’t even know that sanitary pads exist and if sanitary products are available they are unaffordable.

  • At times they dig a HOLE at home and sit in it for the DURATION OF THEIR MENSTRUATION
  • Girls try to stop the blood with DRY LEAVES, CHICKEN FEATHERS, SAND, SOIL, DUNG, NEWSPAPERS, PIECES OF RAG OR FOAM MATTRESSES
  • GIRLS GET TEASED AT SCHOOL when they soil their clothes with blood
  • FORCED INTO SEX for sanitary products
  • 25% OF ABSENCE TO SCHOOL due to their menstruation
  • 30% OF GIRLS DROP OUT OF SCHOOL due to their menstruation
  • Lack of sanitary pads which results in CHILD MARRIAGE AND YOUNG PREGNANCY
  • HIGH MOTHER AND CHILD MORTALITY RATE as well as infection and disease
  • 80% of their population living in rural areas and only ONE DOCTOR FOR EVERY 50,000 PEOPLE
  • Girls need WOMEN’S HEALTH EDUCATION

The Mission

Padding Africa Mission

01. BRINGING INTERNATIONAL AWARENESS to this Southern Africa’s women’s health issue by PROMOTING A REGIONAL SELF-SUSTAINING SYSTEM to:

  • create reusable sanitary pads locally
  • distribute them while educating women on the topic
  • bring business to women’s groups
  • Support and work with governmental initiatives

02. GROW SUPPLIER AND DISTRIBUTION NETWORK

03. SETTING UP SEWING GROUPS in rural villages to make REUSABLE SANITARY PAD KITS FOR GIRLS

04. DISTRIBUTING sanitary pad kits to rural schools in Sub-Saharan Africa

05. IMPLEMENTING making reusable sanitary pad kits in the schools

Sanitary Pad Kit

01. The reusable sanitary pad kit consists of a PAIR OF UNDERWEAR, A TOWEL AND SOAP, 2 SANITARY PAD HOLDERS that clip into place with underwear, 6 INSERTS TO CHANGE when spoiled, a bag to keep the kit in discreetly

02. The pads are made of COTTON and FLANNEL

The Impact

01. REDUCES CHILD BRIDES

02. REDUCED MORTALITY IN YOUNG CHILD BIRTH

03. REDUCED POVERTY

04. REDUCED DISEASE AND INFECTION

05. IMPROVES COMMUNITIES

06. BETTER EARNING POTENTIAL

07. NEXT GENERATION BETTER EDUCATED

2018/2019 Objectives

01. DISTRIBUTION TO RURAL SCHOOLS in South Africa, Zambia & Zimbabwe.

02. INVOLVE AND EDUCATE LOCAL WOMEN’S GROUPS

03. CONSULTING AND FORMING ALLIANCES with women’s groups, local reusable pad companies and charities.

04. EXPAND ON INTERNATIONAL AWARENESS of our mission.

Long Term Goals

01. GROW OUR ACCREDITED SANITARY PAD SUPPLIER NETWORK.

02. SUPPORT AND WORK WITH LOCAL WOMEN’S GROUPS who offer menstrual care solutions and women’s health education for teenage school girls throughout Southern African region.

03. SUPPORT AND WORK WITH GOVERNMENTAL INITIATIVES (Kenyan government allocated $3M to sanitary napkins; Botswana and others passing laws).

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