Author : Carmel Roberts
Period poverty is rife around the world and exists at the University of the Western Cape (UWC), where desperate students resort to using socks when menstruating because they cannot afford sanitary pads or tampons.
A new initiative to elevate student wellness at UWC launches today, 8 March 2024, on International Women’s Day, with its first act being the provision of sanitary pads to students.
The initiative is a collaboration between the Student Representative Council (SRC) and UWC’s Department of Institutional Advancement (IA). The sanitary pad project is part of a broader campaign under the umbrella of the #UdubsCares wellness initiative for students. More than 200 units of toothpaste will also be donated on the day, with the intention of growing the momentum of this campaign.
The University already has a food security programme and assists academically deserving students through its Access to Success campaign for student tuition, its Wysa app for student wellness, and its Centre for Student Support Services.
Research released by The Household Affordability Index, which tracks food price data, has revealed a steep year-on-year increase in the cost of a household food basket. Data from 47 supermarkets and 32 butcheries in the country’s biggest cities, including Cape Town, is calculated as part of the index.
Year-on-year, the cost of a household food basket in Cape Town increased by almost R170. The items listed exclude hygiene or cleaning products. Escalating living expenses are not isolated to a certain group of people and affect everyone, including students. #UdubsCares aims to alleviate some of this burden for students, particularly in the areas of hygiene and wellness
