Young girls in Gqeberha will soon be the first to test a novel sanitary kit that will ensure they never miss a day of school again because of their period.
SISTERHOOD SA Pty and New Africa Education Foundation have entered into a partnership with the aim of ensuring that through Corporate Social Investment funding, the sanitary kit and concept is made available to disadvantaged pupils in public schools.
Driven by four decades of struggling with endometriosis and witnessing family members’ pain after being diagnosed with ovarian and cervical cancer, SISTERHOOD SA director Shaan Keegan researched more sustainable and less embarrassing ways for girls to deal with their monthly periods.
The research took her four years.
“As per the stats of 2019 from Stellenbosch University, 30% of girls in SA do not have access to or cannot afford sanitary towels.
“Our sanitary kit, the first of its kind in the world, provides a product, educational brochures on disease and contraception, cleaning products, panties, three washable inserts and a waterproof wings base set with biodegradable packaging.
“The product has a life cycle of two years,” Keegan explained.
And, thanks to the Eastern Cape department of education, the full kit will now be delivered to three Bay schools and students at Nelson Mandela University.
“We live on a continent where 90% of women never see a gynaecologist.
“My question was how we could create a collective practical product that is also empowering women with information and giving young girls the words to use when they do eventually go to a doctor.”
When developing the product, Keegan said she had gone back to the basics.
“Sometimes the mother of invention is simplicity.
“Towelling material for nappies has been used before.
“It is soft and we know that it’s absorbent and it doesn’t cause skin irritations because it’s used on babies.
“But what we also found the market was sorely lacking, was for the little 10-year-old girls who start menstruating early.
“You need to have absorbency. So, what we did was we created two different sets; two for light flow and two for heavy flow.”
Each of the three schools they selected to be the first to test the kit, would each receive 30 sets of each size, and the university would receive 20 sets of each size.
The handout started this week.
“I have designed a survey and they will be able to give us feedback on the kit,” she said.
She added that the UN and Social Justice for Women in SA had endorsed the product.
In addition, the SABS had given them permission to start manufacturing, and they would be audited between December and January.
“This project is much bigger than distributing a sanitary kit.
“Jobs can be created for entry-level positions.
“In addition, I have negotiated that all exports will be done via Gqeberha.
“We are also currently engaging with Kenya for export.
“They have already received their samples and a leading pharmaceutical company with a footprint in 47 countries in Africa has offered to assist us with export in African countries.”
HeraldLIVE
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