“Period poverty” is a reality across South African communities. Many women and girls simply cannot afford sanitary products, which impacts negatively on their lives by their choosing to stay away from work or to school while menstruating.
For Women’s Month the Caledon-based conservation group Beyond Black Mountain launched a sanitary drive where people can donate sanitary products, or cash, to help girls in need. It teamed up with The Mina Foundation which, not only donated menstrual cups, but also held a very informative workshop about menstrual health.
Hlubikazi Ntshobane and Regina Ndlovu of the Mina Foundation came from Johannesburg to present it to learners, educating them about menstrual health and to explain how the Mina cup works. Each workshop participant was presented with a Mina cup.
So what exactly is a menstrual cup? It’s a small cup made out of eco-friendly medical-grade silicone, which is used instead of other sanitary products. It has many advantages, among them that it lasts up to five years, can be worn for 6-12 hours, is easy to clean and can be worn during any kind of sport.
Over a five-year period one cup can save about R5 000, which would have been spent on sanitary products, and also prevents about 2 000 sanitary products from ending up in landfills.
Lizël Kimber of Beyond Black Mountain said the feedback from the workshop had been very positive. “During a recent hike after the workshop, I heard quite a few girls who attended the workshop, talk about it excitedly,” says Kimber.
In conjunction with the Emoji Movement and the Department of Health the donated products will be distributed by the school clinic bus at the end of August.
Any learner in need of a menstrual cup can contact Lizël Kimber on 071 121 4428.
For additional information about the Mina Cup contact the Mina Foundation per Whatsapp on 082 451 8952.
Contributions towards this sanitary drive can be dropped off at the Beyond Black Mountain office in 8 Meul Street, Caledon.
