Rocklands Primary School takes a stand against period poverty with new vending machine

Girls at Rocklands Primary School will no longer have to miss class because they cannot afford sanitary products. 

On Tuesday, August 12, the non-profit organisation #againstperiodpoverty launched its first sanitary towel vending machine at the school, marking what founder Lindsay Adams called the start of a movement to break the silence around menstrual health.

Ms Adams said they were “not just installing a vending machine but instilling hope.”

She started #againstperiodpoverty in 2019 after helping two girls from her home who had missed school because they did not have access to menstrual hygiene products. 

A few months later, she distributed 200 packs from her driveway. The project grew quickly and, four years later, has reached a milestone she says reflects both hard work and community support.

She said many girls across South Africa cannot afford pads and miss school as a result. 

Speaking to the “7.7 million girls” affected, Ms Adams urged them never to feel ashamed of their periods, describing them as “a sign of strength, growth and life.” 

Access to pads, she said, should be a right, not a privilege, and represents dignity, equity, and freedom from barriers to education. 

She told stakeholders that change begins with active participation and that their support had helped get pads to girls and promote equality. Installing the vending machine was, she said, “the beginning of a movement breaking cycles of silence” and a step towards ensuring no girl is left behind.

The organisation’s youth ambassadors and school pupils, Mikah Vlotman, Phiwokuhle Ruka, and Ovayo Manyonta, also addressed the audience. Mikah said she was excited they now had free pads available. 

Phiwokuhle said it was an honour to be an ambassador and to help other girls. Ovayo said while something as simple as a pad might not seem important to some, for girls like them it was powerful and meant freedom.

Principal Keith Scheepers said the initiative was empowering and that many pupils came from disadvantaged backgrounds. He said the vending machine represented more than convenience, as it tackled the silent barriers to education. Too often, young girls missed school because of a lack of pads, but now they would have easy and dignified access. 

Teacher Abigail Jooste said it was a privilege to be part of the organisation and that pupils had gained both knowledge and power, with even the boys showing interest in being involved.

The NPO's secretary, Glynis Lindt, thanked all who contributed to the initiative. 

Limitless Events and SWAT (Super Women Achieving Together), an annual women’s charity, raised R20 000 for the vending machine. Director Rehana Johnson called it “women supporting women” and said the girls’ gratitude was inspiring.

Fellow director Stacey Schilder credited Ms Adams’s perseverance, saying they were proud to see the project come to life and make a difference.

Ward 81 councillor Ashley Potts commended Ms Adams and her team for raising awareness and called it a platform that could “take the globe by force.” 

Sub-council 17 chairperson Elton Jansen said sanitary towels should be as freely available as condoms so that no girl has to miss school for this reason.

From the two girls who helped in 2019 to the installation of the first vending machine in 2025, Ms Adams said this was only the beginning for #againstperiodpoverty.