Sustainable Sanitary Supply
Investing in a girl’s education and health is fundamental, as it boosts confidence, creates hope, and fosters economic growth. A study shows that 88% of girls in South African schools have no access to sanitary pads, and 1 in 3 girls miss approximately four days of school each month. This presents a major challenge in terms of hygiene and sanitation. For girls who are menstruating, these problems are compounded by the inability to afford sanitary pads, and this lack of access results in missing school to avoid discomfort and embarrassment. These young girls often resort to using strips of cloth, plants, or old newspapers. Within South Africa, there are hundreds of thousands of girls facing this situation on a monthly basis, and it is the goal of the Grey Foundation to provide a solution that creates sustainable change.
Our Goal
Our goal as women is to make a profound impact on as many young girls as possible and to provide a consistent presence of support until they are able to sustainably support themselves. In line with this, the Grey Foundation aims to grow its reach girl by girl, with the goal of sustainably supplying 100,000 school-going girls with a pack of sanitary pads each month for a period of 10 years. This initiative will involve distributing pads to girls in more than 500 disadvantaged schools across South Africa. To achieve this goal, an individual contribution of R2,500 will provide a school-going learner with a 10-year sustainable supply of sanitary pads and, in doing so, help reclaim the dignity that poverty denies them, enabling these young girls to attend school without missing a day of education. It is often said that it takes a village to raise a child, and with this in mind, the Grey Foundation believes in the power of numbers to uplift and inspire the young women of today. Without collective community effort and the involvement of businesses across the country, this goal will not be possible. Let us come together as a team to help change the lives of young girls around South Africa by providing a basic necessity that impacts their lives every month.
How it works
How
To achieve this goal, a contribution of only R2,500 will ensure that one girl is sustainably provided with a monthly supply of sanitary pads for the next 10 years. This initiative aims to distribute this solution to 100,000 young girls across more than 500 disadvantaged schools in South Africa. The objective is to empower young girls by providing access to sanitary wear, enabling them to reach their full potential.
Support
As the South African proverb states, “it takes a village to raise a child,” and this initiative will only be possible through community support, as we together, as individuals and businesses, have the ability to positively impact change in a young girl’s life. We require your contribution to help drive this change, which will ultimately uplift and inspire the young women of today.
Pads for life
The Grey Foundation is a proudly women-run Non-Profit Organisation (NPO) founded in 2018, with the empowerment and enablement of women at the core of its mission. In partnership with Nandi, the Foundation has launched an initiative to deliver a world-class hygiene and sanitary pad solution to no fewer than 100,000 girls between the ages of 10 and 21 across South Africa. The initiative has a two-fold focus: to assist and empower young girls and women from impoverished and disadvantaged communities, including local community schools, through the provision of a sustainable hygienic sanitary pad package delivered to central, easily accessible locations; and to build a sustainable distribution network that supplies sanitary pads at an affordable price to women throughout the country.
This initiative has been developed to operate responsibly and sustainably over a ten-year period and will be monitored through a central online platform that provides real-time progress and results to donors, sponsors and stakeholders via web access, the Google Play Store and the iStore application. The outcomes of the initiative will enable young girls to grow into confident future leaders, empower local spaza shop owners as primary distribution channels, and establish sustainable partnerships between schools and communities that promote individual and community development. The vision of the Grey Foundation is to act as a catalyst for change in the lives of disadvantaged young girls and women by restoring confidence and hope within South Africa. The chosen banking partner for this initiative is Absa Bank Limited, acting through its Corporate and Investment Banking Division, whose dedicated team plays a key role in ensuring the success and sustainability of the programme.
The primary objective of the Grey Foundation is to raise sponsorship to supply 100,000 girls between the ages of 10 and 21 with high-quality hygienic sanitary pads, produced in accordance with ISO standards and delivered monthly for a period of ten years. Investment in a girl’s education and health is fundamental to growth and development, as it boosts confidence, creates hope and fosters sustainable economic growth within communities. A recent study shows that 88% of girls in South African schools have no access to sanitary pads, with one in three girls missing approximately four days of school each month due to discomfort and embarrassment. A total investment of R2,500 ensures that one girl receives the sanitary pads she requires every month for ten years. The benefits of this initiative include the elimination of unhygienic alternatives, reduced absenteeism from school, effective local distribution networks, and the sustainable enablement of local businesses, including the growth of proudly South African, Black women-owned enterprises that uplift their communities. The Grey Foundation initiative, in partnership with Nandi, is a proudly South African collaboration enabled and supported by Absa Corporate and Investment Banking.