South Africa: Free The Period, build equality

By Dr Masego Tshabalala

Menstruation is a natural part of life, yet for many girls and women, it remains a source of shame, struggle, and silence. In South Africa, as in many parts of the world, girls still miss school because they cannot afford sanitary pads. Boys laugh at something they do not understand. Parents avoid the topic out of embarrassment. This silence has allowed a quiet injustice that affects education, self-esteem, and equality to grow.

The MT Foundation’s Free The Period initiative was created to break that silence. Launched in April 2025, it brought Sanitary Dignity Stations to four locations in Mangaung, Bloemfontein. These stations offer free sanitary pads, dignity packs, and menstrual health information. But more importantly, they give girls and women respect, visibility, and choice that they have long been denied.

For many girls in Mangaung townships, a lack of sanitary products is not just an inconvenience; it is a barrier to their future. When a girl misses school every month because of her period, she falls behind. When she hides in shame, she learns to silence herself. Free The Period sends a different message:

Menstrual health is not shameful. Dignity is not negotiable. By offering free products, we are not doing charity; we are correcting an injustice. A pad can help a girl get through the day, but education gives her confidence for life. That is why each Sanitary Dignity Station offers Menstrual Health Education sessions, led by young ambassadors like Paballo and Tamia, young women who have lived this reality.

In these sessions, girls ask questions they never asked before. They learn about hygiene, cramps, self-care, and emotional changes. They talk about their bodies without whispering. For many, this is the first time they are told, “There is nothing dirty about you. You are strong. Your period does not make you weak.”

We also invite boys and men to join the conversation. At first, they giggle or look away. But slowly, they begin to listen. Some even ask how they can support their sisters or classmates. This shift is powerful, because menstrual equality cannot happen if boys remain silent.

We are breaking patriarchy, one conversation at a time. Patriarchy lives in everyday beliefs, i.e. the idea that women should hide, that menstruation is embarrassing, or that girls are too emotional to lead. Free The Period confronts these beliefs directly.

By placing sanitary pads in public community spaces, we are declaring that menstruation does not belong in the shadows. By training young women to lead sessions, we are challenging the belief that leadership is a male space. By including fathers and brothers, we are teaching that care is a shared responsibility.

Every time a girl walks to a Sanitary Dignity Station without shame, patriarchy loses ground. We are indeed seeing a quiet but powerful change. Change does not always make noise. Sometimes it shows itself in a classroom or a kitchen table. In Mangaung, that change is becoming visible: Schools report fewer absences. Girls are staying in class during their periods. Mothers are talking to daughters. Women who grew up in silence are now talking about periods with pride. Boys are learning empathy. Schools are asking for sessions that include boys, not exclude them. Leaders are taking notice. Local councillors and principals now speak of menstrual health in meetings. These are small signs, but they are the beginning of cultural transformation.

Thandi, a Grade 9 learner, once hid at home for three days each month. Now she runs a school support group, encouraging others to speak up. Mama Refiloe, a parent volunteer, confessed that she never spoke to her daughters about periods. Today, she helps distribute pads and says, “I want my daughters to grow up free, not ashamed like us.”

Tiny Tots ECD Centre, one of our partners, now teaches young children about respecting bodies, planting seeds of equality early. Menstrual health is a human rights issue. When we ignore periods, we ignore girls. Menstrual health is not just a hygiene issue; it is linked to: right to education: a girl who misses school loses learning; right to health: using unsafe materials causes infections; and the fight for equality: shame keeps women silent and powerless.

Patriarchy taught girls to hide. Free The Period teaches them to lead. Patriarchy used shame. We use knowledge. Free The Period is part of a larger movement for justice. It connects to the global fight for gender equality. It is grounded in the message: “We bleed. We rise. We lead.”

We believe one township can inspire another, and one voice can lead many. That is why we collect stories, share experiences, and invite others to join us. We use hashtags not just for visibility, but for unity:

#PushForward4Equality – Equality through action

#FreeThePeriod – End shame, protect dignity

#ResilienceVoices – Girls speaking out

#AmplifyEquality – From local to global

We envision the future of a station in every community. Our vision does not end with four stations. We want schools, clinics, churches, and community centres across South Africa to have Sanitary Dignity Stations. We want menstrual education to be part of national policy. We want every child, a girl or a boy, to grow up believing that periods are normal, not secret.

We dream of a nation where no girl drops out because of biology. Where fathers buy pads without hesitation. Where ministers speak of menstrual dignity in parliament. Where menstruation becomes a normal chapter, not a closed door.

The silent revolution has begun. Revolutions do not always start with protests. Some begin quietly, with a box of pads on a shelf, a classroom discussion, a girl lifting her head instead of hiding it. In Mangaung, through Free The Period, a silent revolution has begun—a revolution of dignity, knowledge, and pride. We are not just distributing pads; we are redistributing power. This is how change happens. Not all at once, but one girl, one voice, one period at a time.

#PushForward4Equality