Cape Town: A historic sanitary pad vending machine project will be launched on Tuesday at School of Hope in Observatory in Cape Town.
The project is reportedly the first of its kind on the continent. It is being launched by O Graceland (OGL) and the MENstruation Foundation.
OGL, led by Philani Zama, is a Cape Town non-profit organisation that houses young girls ageing out of childcare homes.
The NPO opened its doors at Oude Molen Eco Village, Pinelands in 2017, becoming, at the time, one of the only two homes of its nature in the Western Cape.
The MENstruation Foundation is a charity organisation that fights period poverty. It is led by Marius Basson, Siv Ngesi and Babalwa Latsha.
The organisation believes that if men bled once a month, sanitary products would be free, and their main goal is to achieve this in SA.
The project will see the launch and handover of the first vending machine that produces sanitary pads. The first machine will be handed over to and stationed at School of Hope.
In the subsequent phases of the landmark project, more vending machines will be produced and distributed through partnerships with corporates to schools and community centres in order to fill a critical need for sanitary pads.
The aim of the project is to create a sustainable free access module, where corporates can sponsor and fund a machine or machines. Corporates will also get a variety of rewards.
The project has been supported by MTN and as well as gen-xx, and it has also been sponsored by Veracity Markets.
Cape Argus