Women’s day (9 August) is a day where we celebrate women and all that they achieve. We acknowledge the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements women have made throughout the years. It is an unfortunate truth that period poverty exists in the world. Many low-income females struggle to afford adequate feminine hygiene products each month, which can cause health risks such as reproductive and urinary tract infections.

To help combat this, UP Campus Tours (UPCT), the Honours student-run campus tour entity, partnered with “Pledge a Pad” to bring awareness to period poverty.

On Wednesday 10 August and Thursday 11 August, the UPCT team and “Pledge a Pad” set up gazebos in the Piazza on Hatfield Campus to raise awareness and create a place for UP students and staff to donate. To show their support for all  the good “Pledge a Pad” are doing around Pretoria, the UPCT Honours team of 2022 also donated 37 packets of feminine hygiene products to the amount of R1000.00 from UPCT funding to “Pledge a Pad”.

“Pledge a Pad” is a non-profit organisation located at UP that collects feminine hygiene products for females living in underprivileged areas. These products then get distributed to the University, schools, and orphanages around the Tshwane metro. The team also educates young women about feminine hygiene. If you would like to donate sanitary pads, a bin is permanently set up in the Student Health Services building on Hatfield campus. For more information on how to support this initiative, please send an email to [email protected].

UPCT, headed by Professor Karen Harris, also offers a wide range of tours around Hatfield campus. We strive to enlighten visitors about the history and beauty of the campus. Both virtual and physical tours are offered, and the team ensures a personal experience is created for each visitor. For more information, please send an email to [email protected].