According to the trio, it is estimated that three in 10 South African high school girls miss a week of school every month due to not having menstrual health products available.
The vending machine, which is sponsored by Liberty Promenade, will be stocked up monthly to ensure sufficient supply to cater to the needs of the 600 female learners throughout the year, says the trio.
Learners will be provided with tokens to access the pads at no cost. This way, their monthly cycles will be one less thing to worry about between the reality of learning, exams and other teenage stresses, adds the trio.
At the recent handover Babalwa Laksha, captain of the Springbok female rugby team addressed the learners, saying "School is the one place that should be safe and empowering for young women. This project will ensure that they stay in school."
Learners were also given an educational talk on feminine hygiene and menstruation. Siv Ngesi, who advocates for the Menstruation Foundation, adds, "If men bled once a month, sanitary pads would be free. Condoms are free and sanitary products are not; it is a failure of justice."
"As a community-focussed mall, channelling support to address real needs in our area is critical to us," says Brenda Bibby, general manager of Liberty Promenade.
"It is unthinkable that girls should have to miss school due to lack of access to sanitary products and we are thrilled to be contributing to removing this obstacle at the Glendale Secondary School," concludes Bibby.
For more information, visit
www.promenade.co.za.