South Africa

'Condoms are free, pads should be too' campaign raises thousands

01 July 2019 - 13:17 By Cebelihle Bhengu
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Many have taken to Twitter to pledge donations of sanitary pads for needy women.
Many have taken to Twitter to pledge donations of sanitary pads for needy women.
Image: Gallo Images/iStock

A project by the Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University's student representative council (SRC) to provide free sanitary pads has sparked conversation and raised thousands of rands in pledges.

The SRC's #CondomsAreFreePadsShouldBeToo campaign was shared across social media at the weekend amid calls for pads to be distributed on campus in the way condoms are.

The campaign started on Monday, its aim being to ensure the dignity of women is protected.

As pledges came in, Lindiwe Nkuna, of Pretoria-based sanitary pad manufacturer Lindiwe Sanitary Pads, was among those tagged in conversations, as many pledged to buy the products from her company. 

Speaking to TimesLIVE, Nkuna said although she was not a part of the campaign, she was passionate about ensuring that the needs of women were met.

"I don't run the campaign, but people tagged me because they said they would be buying the sanitary pads from us. When I started in November last year, the intention was to help the girl child."

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