According to the United Nations Population Fund, an estimated one in ten girls in sub-Saharan Africa is absent from school at some point during their period and research shows that up to seven million schoolgirls in South Africa cannot afford sanitary pads.
Period poverty is the reason many South African girls do not attend school while they are on their period, simply put they do not have sanitary products. The stigma attached to menstruating which stems from lack of knowledge, also leads to teasing in school when they attend while on their periods. The knock-on effect of this is an increased difficulty for women and girls to voice their concerns about their periods. Many lack access to period products out of fear of others ignoring or ridiculing them.
Another devastating side-effect of period poverty is the lack of education due to girls missing school while menstruating, making it even more difficult for them to lift themselves and their communities out of poverty.
Hyde Park Corner is committed to making a difference this Women’s Month. To help us help young women in schools based in Alexander, simply drop a pack of sanitary towels in the box located close to Clicks and Galleon Pharmacy.
Enjoy a shopping experience that is Made for You at Hyde Park Corner on the corner of William Nicol Drive and Jan Smuts Avenue in Hyde Park, Johannesburg.
