January 13, 2021
From Bonang Matheba to Mihlali Ndamase, they’re using their platforms to help make change.
Why Global Citizens Should Care
Period poverty impacts many of the UN’s Global Goals, from gender equality, to education access, to good health and well-being. Bringing an end to period poverty starts with menstrual education and access to sanitary products for all people who menstruate, and having prominent people bring awareness to the issue contributes significantly to eradicating it. Join the movement and take action on this issue here.
Period poverty is a prevalent issue in South Africa, where there remains a large number of people who don't have access to menstrual education or sanitary products.
Although the South African government moved to make sanitary products more accessible by removing the 15% Value Added Tax in 2019 to make them cheaper, there are still many who simply can't afford them.
According to a study conducted by Stellenbosch University, an estimated 30% of girls in South Africa don’t go to school while they are menstruating because they can’t afford sanitary products. This has the potential to set girls behind their male peers in class and ultimately deprive them of equal opportunities in the future.
Creating access to sanitary products, educating the public on the effects of period poverty, and destigmatising the subject of menstruation are all essential steps we can take towards ending period poverty in South Africa and around the world.
That's why many South African celebrities are using their status and platforms to tackle the issue of period poverty head-on. Here are five whose work on this issue you should definitely know about.