200 reusable sanitary pads donated to local high school girls

Palesa Pads partnered with local Non-profit Organisation (NPO), Winnie Radebe Foundation to distribute 200 reusable sanitary towels to girls in Soweto.

The company which produces reusable sanitary pads in a factory in Meyerton, in the Vaal has been running an ongoing campaign to keep a girl child in school for seven years.

Founder and CEO, Sherie ‘Palesa’ de Wet said she saw a gap in the reusable pad market and sought to produce a quality and affordable product to address the needs of women.

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De Wet who has become a formidable voice in the movement to end period poverty, cited there was a major need to move to sustainable period solutions that do not require a person to budget for their period.

“The product is guaranteed for five years which is an entire high school period and that’s the beauty, young girls won’t have to worry about it again. We have aimed to produce a good quality product that is affordable. We have put a lot of effort in ensuring that they last a long time.”

The day was made possible by the South African Venture Capital Association, who at their annual conference in 2023, managed to raise funds for Palesa Pads for almost 100 girls and the organisation matched the donation.

“We make the pads and have sponsors buy them from us so we can give them to girls for free. This helps in keeping our doors open,” De Wet explained.

“This has helped us reach over 130 000 girls in over 200 schools in some of the most rural areas in the country. We have also travelled to neighbouring countries including Lesotho.”

The NPO founder, Winnie Radebe, who adopted the learning institution, said she roped in the company to bring a long-lasting option to ease the burden on learners who are unable to afford disposable sanitary towels.

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“We have been wanting to get them since 2022 as we try to always source new networks and see how we can grow our footprint and impact.

“We were thrilled when corporations such as Palesa Pads see the need to partner with such grassroots organisations,” she said.

“We share the same vision of wanting to see young girls go to school, instead of having that burden of financial constraints. As an organisation, we strongly feel that reusable pads are the future to tackling period poverty.”