This year’s target of 10 million pads within reach

WITH just under a week left of the Million Comforts campaign, the Dis-Chem Foundation is closing in on its target of collecting 10 million sanitary pads for high school girls across South Africa.

Last month, the foundation launched its annual initiative to donate millions of sanitary pads to girls who do not have access to them. Dis-Chem has partnered with shoppers and major feminine hygiene brands with aim of keeping girls at school.

In just over five weeks of campaigning, approximately eight million pads have been collected, already surpassing the number collected during last year’s drive.

According to the foundation, girls aged between 12 to 18 can miss up to a fifth of their schooling,as a result of not having access to sanitary wear.

The foundation has collaborated with Caring4Girls to distribute the pads to schools in rural and underprivileged areas.

Caring4Girls also teaches girls about puberty and menstrual hygiene and aims to debunk social taboos around menstruation.

To aid the campaign, the foundation has placed branded drop-off bins in over 130 Dis-Chem pharmacies. Major feminine hygiene product suppliers Always, Kotex, Lil-lets, Stayfree and Libresse have once again joined the movement, matching every in-store purchase with a donation to the cause.

The public can continue donating sanitary wear until Tuesday.