This will form part of the inaugural Women's Wellness Day @ Sage on Women's Day (Friday 9 August) in Salt Rock.

"Sage Centre has a predominantly female demographic and the majority of the centre's businesses are women-owned," says Lara Warr, centre manager. "With this in mind, we want to host a Women's Day event that celebrates women and their wellness."

"Knowing Sue Barnes and the wonderful work she is doing with Subz Pants and Pads, we decided that we would like to support this organisation which focuses primarily on women's health and education," she adds.

Barnes, a KwaZulu-Natal resident with a background in food technology and fashion design, was concerned about the difficulties young women in impoverished communities faced every month. A lack of funds for sanitary wear meant thousands of young women were missing up to a week of school monthly, costing them in-classroom time and setting their education back.

Barnes says she was driven to find a solution to the problem — one that was both economically viable and environmentally sustainable. She set about designing a reusable sanitary pad and clip-on panty. In 2010, Subz Pants and Pads was established, followed by the non-profit extension called 'Project Dignity'.
 
The extension provides sponsored packs of pads to schoolgirls across the country, and beyond its borders. Every school or community activation includes donations of packs and is accompanied by an open, educational talk on young women's health and wellbeing.

The five-year longevity of the product means that a girl entering grade eight will be able to use the same Subz pack throughout high school. There is no need for monthly donations, or massive storage space on school premises to hold all the products. However, pack donations are not restricted to high school settings but also given wherever there is a need.

To date, more than 140 000 packs of Subz Pants and Pads have been donated, although the list of needy recipients continues to grow. "We are so grateful to Lara Warr and the rest of the team at Sage Centre for giving us this platform to discuss the work being done by 'Project Dignity,'" says Barnes. "Women's wellness and wellbeing are so important and often overlooked, so it's really wonderful that they are using this Women's Day to highlight the need to care for both ourselves and the women in our communities."

Individuals will have the opportunity to attend Women’s Wellness Day @ Sage at Sage Centre to learn more about 'Project Dignity's' work.

The cost is a donation of R24.50 for a single Subz Sanitary Pad or R200 for a Subz pack, which will be donated to the schoolgirls at Sizani Primary School in Salt Rock.

Alongside the talks, there will be an open market with traders selling products for women, including clothing, jewellery, natural oils, crystals, and activewear, among others. The centre will also celebrate the opening of the Open Studio — a centre for yoga, pilates, meditation, dance and other wellness activities.

The Women’s Wellness Day @ Sage is:

08:15 to 09:00 — 'Yoga' with Helen
09:00 to10:00 — 'Nurturing your Vagina and How to Kegel Correctly' with physiotherapist, Candice Langford
10:15 to 11:00 — 'Pilates' with Kaylee Kinetics
11:15 to 12:00 — Sue Barnes will talk on Subz Pants and Pads
12:00 to 13:00 break to eat, drink and shop.
13:00 to 13:30 — Sarah Elizabeth will talk on 'I Beat the Bounce … What's Your Super Power Sports Bras Explained' and 'How to Eradicate the Dreaded Bounce'.
13:30 to 14:30 — 'Essential oil workshop' with Penny Slein

For more information, visit www.projectdignity.org.za. You can also follow 'Project Dignity' on Facebook or on Twitter.