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For many young girls and women living in vulnerable communities across Cape Town, period poverty remains a silent crisis; one that impacts school attendance, confidence, mental wellbeing and dignity every single month.
Now, in a powerful collaboration rooted in long-term impact rather than short-term charity, the Salesian Institute Youth Projects (SIYP) and the MENstruation Foundation are joining forces to create sustainable menstrual dignity solutions for vulnerable youth.
SIYP has officially launched its Pads, Power and Progress BackaBuddy campaign to raise approximately R71 000 towards the installation and maintenance of a sanitary pad dispensing machine at the SIYP Learn to Live School of Skills in Green Point; a registered special needs school supporting learners with learning barriers and disabilities.
In a major boost to the campaign, the MENstruation Foundation has confirmed that if SIYP successfully raises approximately R50 000 through public support and fundraising efforts, the Foundation will subsidise the remaining balance required for the installation and operation of the dispenser for 12 months.
The partnership marks an important shift away from once-off pad drop-offs towards a more sustainable and dignified model of menstrual support. Founded to tackle period poverty through practical long-term interventions, the MENstruation Foundation partners with schools, organisations and corporates to install and maintain sanitary pad dispensing machines that provide continuous access to menstrual products for vulnerable girls and women.
“Too often, period poverty is treated as a once-a-year campaign or a temporary gesture,” says Marius Basson, Founder of the MENstruation Foundation. “But periods happen every month. Dignity should too. Sustainable access changes school attendance, confidence, participation and futures. We are proud to support Salesian Institute Youth Projects because they understand that real impact requires consistency, partnership and accountability.”
For over 100 years, SIYP has worked with vulnerable and at-risk youth from more than 60 formal and informal settlements across the Western Cape, providing education, vocational training, skills development and pathways into employment. The organisation says the menstrual dignity campaign emerged directly from the realities faced by many young women in its programmes; including learners who regularly miss school because they cannot afford sanitary products.
“Periods do not stop over weekends, holidays or month-end when money runs out,” says Jo Da Silva, Fundraising Manager at Salesian Institute Youth Projects. “Our girls and young women should never have to choose between dignity and survival. This partnership with the MENstruation Foundation gives us the opportunity to create something sustainable, impactful and deeply human. It is not just about pads, it is about restoring confidence, protecting education and reminding vulnerable young women that they matter.”
The need spans across SIYP’s programmes and communities, beneficiaries range from a 14-year-old girl currently living in a Place of Safety to adult women from informal settlements facing unemployment, poverty, gender-based violence and food insecurity.
Last year during Women’s Month, SIYP launched a sanitary pad collection drive that successfully collected more than 800 packs of sanitary towels distributed across its youth development programmes. However, the organisation says demand continues to outpace supply.
The new collaboration aims to create a more reliable and dignified support system through:
- Continuous access to sanitary products
- Improved school attendance and participation
- Reduced stigma surrounding menstruation
- Better hygiene and menstrual health support
- Greater dignity and empowerment for vulnerable girls and women
The initiative also aligns with SIYP’s broader youth empowerment work, which includes maritime and hospitality training, solar photovoltaic installation programmes, employability initiatives and the accredited Stitch Ahead sewing programme; which already incorporates the production of reusable sanitary pads as part of its skills development training.
Both organisations believe storytelling and public visibility will play a crucial role in the success of the campaign, particularly in helping donors and corporates understand the direct impact their support can make.
“In communities where families are forced to choose between food and hygiene products, menstrual dignity is often sacrificed first,” adds Da Silva. “But no girl should miss school because she cannot afford a pad. This campaign is about access, equality and creating futures with dignity.”
SIYP is now calling on corporates, donors, foundations and members of the public to support the BackaBuddy campaign and help ensure that no learner or young woman in its programmes is left without access to essential menstrual hygiene products.
To support the Pads, Power and Progress campaign, visit:
https://www.backabuddy.co.za/organization/salesian-institute-youth-projects
About Salesian Institute Youth Projects
Salesian Institute Youth Projects is a Cape Town-based non-profit organisation that has worked with vulnerable and at-risk youth for over a century. Rooted in the Salesian tradition of St John Bosco, SIYP provides education, vocational training, psychosocial support and employability pathways to young people across the Western Cape through programmes including Learn to Live School of Skills, Waves of Change Maritime Programme, NEETs Youth Employability Programme and Stitch Ahead.
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