Every minute one woman is diagnosed with Cervical Cancer yet it is preventable and treatable. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO): Over 62% of the diseases were caused by the use of poor quality sanitary napkins. – It is these alarming statistics of failures that birthed the magnanimous project of distribution organic sanitary products to less privileged young girls South Africa by Vivian Mokome Foundation (VMF) and George Sebulela Foundation (GSF). These organic sanitary napkins preserve health, promotes metabolism, enhances immunity and relieves stress to mention a few benefits.
With an estimated 30% of South African girls who do not attend school while they are on their period because of not having sanitary products, it is no brained as to why Dr. Vivian Mokome and Mr George Sebulela found it imperative to create this product which is now manufactured and distributed locally.
Dr. Vivian Mokome is a business woman involved in Network Based Entrepreneurship and Social Entrepreneurship. She holds a Master’s degree in Information stems & Business Applications and a PHD in Information Systems. She is also known to be a philanthropist in her community. She was born in Bushbuckridge in Limpopo and grew up in Soshanguve in Pretoria, Gauteng.
According to Dr. Vivian, the new Dignity – Long Lasting Inspiration organic pads are comfortable, thinner than a normal pad and don’t leak like normal pads would leak when there’s heavy flow. The organic pads protect and preserves one’s health while it boosting your immune. The pads are safe and hygienic with food grade, aluminium foil with resalable opening which offers better resistance to dampness, mold and bacteria. They are made from organic cotton & is hypoallergenic (no itching & rashes). There are no chemicals used in the product. They are made of Anion strip (green strip) which kills 99% of bacteria giving Dignity – Long lasting Inspiration organic Pads antibacterial benefits. Anion also neutralises free radicals and has antiviral effects – this helps to fight urinary tract infections (UTI’s) which many women suffer from as a result of using public toilets for example. The pads are absorbent, the absorption capacity of 3-5 times than any ordinary pad.
“These high-quality organic sanitary napkins have been tested and found to be bio degradable and 3 to 5 times the quality of a normal pad which will prevent period shaming and absconding when girls don’t come to school due to heavy flow or lack of access to sanitary pads. The benefits of wearing these organic premium pads include calmness and improved sleep, pain relief, anti-inflammatory effects and swelling reduction. It activates cells, accelerates blood circulation and enhances tissue regeneration ability.
Other benefits of wearing Dignity – Long Lasting Inspiration pads:
- Preserves Health
- Anti Bacterial
- Anti Inflammatory
- Eliminating Odour
- Promotes metabolism
- Improves endocrine function
- Enhances Immunity
- Relieves Stress
Dr. Vivian plans to launch the organic product officially in October 2023 at local public schools through Mokome Foundation and partners, who helped hundreds of girls to attain hygiene integrity by providing sanitary pads, for menstruation. Mokome Foundation has become an arm to public schools by reaching its low-income women and girls faced with the misfortune of not affording menstrual products and has distributed over 10 thousand pads in February 2023 in over 20 schools.
The targeted recipients for this pads project is girls in public schools. The supply period for each public school is one year for grade 7 – grade 12 in all nine provinces in South Africa. South Africa has a total of 6000 secondary schools and of these, 3 060 secondary schools the majority of these schools were in the Eastern Cape, Kwazulu Natal and Limpopo. The intended output is for girls to have a happy and odourless period. To ensure that a period never infringes on a girl’s education. To curb the sporadic rise of cervical cancer by providing organic sanitary napkins that are anti Bacterial and anti Inflammatory. To fight period poverty by creating dialogue about the scarcity of sanitary napkins for a girl child in South Africa.
