The soft-spoken entrepreneur Thandeka Dlamini (25) founded her organisation, the Bubele Foundation, after seeing the need in her community.

“Being a woman myself, buying pads is always on top of my list, so I started the pad drive to help young girls from disadvantaged backgrounds and those who cannot afford buying sanitary towels, to have them in time of need,” she said.

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Dlamini and her friend, Zinhle Manana, teamed up to collect donations for the first pad drive. The aim of this campaign was to ensure that all girls did not have to worry about that time of the month, and were kept in school learning even during their menstrual cycle.

“This was our first pad drive, but our long-term vision was to donate monthly to not only one school, but to a number of schools,” she said. The pair asked for support from any interested companies and members of the community, to increase their reach and help even more needy girls. “We would love assistance from any donors to help us reach more girls in dire need in the province,” said Manana.

Their slogan is “a R5 coin can go a long way”. This they formed after realising they could buy affordable, quality pads at R5 a pack in shops.

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During their donation, the pair learned that desperate teenager girls sometimes use toilet paper, sponges and clothes during their cycle, which poses a health hazard to them.

Anyone interested to help this initiative may follow the foundation on social media, @bubble.foundation on Instagram and Facebook, or alternatively send an email to thandekadlaminy@gmail.com.