Back-to-School Pad Drive targets period poverty to keep girls in class

With schools reopening, DGN Sanitary Pads launched a Back-to-School Pad Drive to address period poverty, an often-overlooked barrier that continues to disrupt the education of thousands of schoolgirls across SA.

Research and on-the-ground experience show that learners without access to menstrual products are more likely to miss school, fall behind academically and disengage from the learning environment.

The drive responds to this challenge by distributing sanitary pads to girls in under-resourced schools at the start of the term, when absenteeism linked to menstruation is most prevalent.

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It all began when Dr Vivian Mokome (PhD), through the Mokome Foundation, started visiting schools to donate pads to girls who missed school due to a lack of menstrual care.

What initially appeared to be an isolated challenge quickly revealed a deeper and more widespread issue: Systemic period poverty affecting learners across multiple communities.

By aligning menstrual health support with the back-to-school period, the initiative highlights period poverty as a health concern and a critical education and social equity issue.

Education stakeholders increasingly recognise that ensuring uninterrupted attendance for girls requires practical interventions that support dignity, hygiene, and confidence.

These early school engagements exposed the link between menstrual health and educational outcomes, prompting the establishment of DGN Sanitary Pads as a long-term, sustainable solution rather than a once-off charitable response.

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The drive continues that work, designed to support consistent school attendance while normalising conversations around menstrual health in educational spaces.

Choosing Dignity goes deeper than just a pad; it’s about empowerment. Every purchase fuels the mission to combat period poverty, ensuring that women and girls can manage their menstrual health with confidence and dignity.

The Dignity organic biodegradable sanitary pads and body liners are comfortable, thinner than conventional pads, practical to use and offer superior leak resistance, even during heavy flow.

The products conform to safety and hygiene standards and feature food-grade aluminium foil with resealable openings, providing enhanced protection against moisture, mould and bacteria, making them suitable for school environments where storage conditions may be limited.

The drive invites corporates, education departments, NGOs and the public to participate in addressing a challenge that impacts learner retention and performance.

By ensuring access to menstrual products, the initiative contributes to broader national goals surrounding gender equality, access to education and youth development.