Fashion designer-turned-activist Sue Barnes is changing lives – one pad at a time. But period poverty remains one of South Africa’s most overlooked crises.
Imagine missing a week of school every month – not because you’re sick, but because you simply can’t afford sanitary pads. This is the hidden reality for thousands of girls and women in South Africa. And it’s not just affecting their education. It’s affecting their dignity, health, and futures.
“We call it period poverty, but it’s really a poverty of justice,” says Tania Joffe, founder of Unu Health. “When a basic biological function stops girls from accessing education or women from going to work, we’re not just dealing with hygiene – we’re dealing with inequality.”
In South Africa, it’s estimated that up to 30% of girls miss school while menstruating because they don’t have access to sanitary products. That can add up to a staggering 50–60 days of school missed per year – almost a third of the academic calendar.
For women in low-income jobs or informal employment, the consequences are equally severe: time off work, loss of income, and humiliation.
“We don’t talk about this enough,” says Sue Barnes, the founder of Subz Pads & Project Dignity. “When I first heard that girls were using socks, newspaper, or even leaves during their periods, I was horrified. I knew I had to do something.”
Sue Barnes, a KwaZulu-Natal-based fashion designer, could have kept to her career. Instead, she used her sewing skills to design washable, reusable sanitary pads and launched Subz Pads – a non-profit that distributes these pads to underprivileged schools across the country.
Since 2010, the organisation has reached over 1 million girls, helping them stay in school with dignity and comfort.
“It’s not just a pad,” says Sue. “It’s a ticket to confidence. It’s freedom from shame. And it gives girls the chance to become what they were always meant to be.”
The Subz Pads kits come with reusable pads and underwear and are designed to last up to five years – making them an affordable and sustainable solution.
While Sue’s work has been transformative, the broader issue of period poverty still looms large. According to a 2022 study by UNESCO and the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, many girls in rural areas drop out of school entirely due to repeated absenteeism caused by menstruation.
And yet, sanitary products are still taxed as non-essential items in many countries, and access to menstrual hygiene education remains patchy.
“The stigma around menstruation is part of the problem,” adds Joffe. “If we can talk openly about periods, we can demand better policies, more funding, and real solutions.”
Unu Health has made period dignity a core part of its Women’s Month campaign this year, highlighting voices like Sue’s and pushing for more open conversations about menstrual health.
“When girls can’t afford pads, they start to believe that their bodies are shameful or that they are somehow ‘less than,’” says Joffe. “That’s not just heartbreaking – it’s unacceptable.”
The solution? Awareness, education, and support for local innovators who are already on the ground doing the work.
If you want to be part of the solution:
- Support organisations like Subz Pads and others tackling period poverty head-on.
- Donate sanitary pads or reusable kits to schools or shelters.
- Talk about it—at the dinner table, in the boardroom, and in the classroom.
Because menstruation shouldn’t be a barrier. It should just be biology.
For more information on Sue Barnes’ work, visit www.subzpads.co.za
