Newspapers across SA turned into 'sanitary pads'

Because for 4 million South African schoolgirls, it has been.

The campaign, created by Joe Public in partnership with the MENstruation Foundation and Independent Newspapers, transforms three of the country's most widely read print titles into a visceral symbol of period poverty. Its message is unambiguous: "A newspaper can absorb the blood, but not the shame."

Period poverty forces millions of girls to substitute sanitary products with newspapers, rags and cow dung. The consequences extend far beyond hygiene. Without access to period products, a schoolgirl misses up to five days of school each month – a cumulative educational disadvantage that narrows her opportunities and deepens existing gender inequality. Families are forced to choose between food and period products. And in the most desperate circumstances, girls are exposed to exploitation and gender-based violence, including transactional sex in exchange for sanitary pads.

The MENstruation Foundation is the largest non-profit distributor of free sanitary pads in Africa, currently reaching 100,000 schoolgirls monthly through its Sanitary Pad Dispensing Machine model, with machines installed in schools across the country. "We have the solution. We make the world's most affordable high-quality sanitary pads," says foundation co-founder Siv Ngesi. "But we need donors and corporate sponsors to reach millions more girls. Without them, we cannot end period poverty in South Africa. Just R60 supplies a schoolgirl with pads for an entire year."

The campaign was months in the making. Joe Public's creative team developed realistic blood stain artwork, refined through photography and retouching, before running multiple rounds of printing tests with Independent Newspapers on newsprint and high-speed press machines to achieve the striking effect readers encountered on the day.

"Restoring dignity and keeping girls healthy and in school is essential to the future of our country," says Mpume Ngobesi, managing director of Joe Public. "Collaborating with the MENstruation Foundation and Independent Newspapers quite literally makes period poverty front page news – a reminder that this issue demands both attention and urgent action."

Independent Newspapers group executive for marketing and communication Lutfia Vayej adds: "This campaign aligns perfectly with our values of nation building and creating a better South Africa. Giving more schoolgirls access to free pads keeps them healthy and keeps them in school. We are proud to be part of an idea that uses the very material these girls are forced to use as the powerful message everyone needs to hear."

R60 provides one schoolgirl with sanitary pads for a full year. To donate or enquire about corporate sponsorship, visit the MENstruation Foundation website.