Reusable sanitary pads hit local market

Many teenage girls, especially in rural areas, have often found it difficult to access sanitary pads. Where accessible however, the girls have found them to be expensive, leading to some girls in such areas opting to habitually stay at home while on their periods.

This is an observation that has been made by local businesswomen, Lady Noble and Rona Tshiamo who trade under the name, Tripple Diamond, the company that sells a reusable Pad called ‘Subz’. Subz Pad is a washable sanitary towel that is reusable and needs not to be discarded. “In fact one pack which contains three pairs of panties, nine washable pads, nine plastic sealable bags for only P250 can be used for up to five years,” Noble said of the pad.

The introduction of the pad in the country was to help those who may not afford to keep returning to the shops to buy, and Tripple Diamond owners hope to bring a long term solution to many such school-going girls who have had to miss out on valuable education minutes. “The growing lack of access to sanitary wear for teenage girls hinders their education by 25 percent as these girls do not go to school whilst they are menstruating. That is one week every month, which is a massive setback in their school careers.

In poorer settlements and rural schools, there is lack of affordable sanitary products and proper sanitation methods. Which makes young menstruating girls choose to stay home rather than attend school, while they are on their periods,which puts them at a clear disadvantage against their male counterparts,” observes Noble. The sanitary pad has six layers, the outer one being the 100 percent cotton knit, water proofing, three layers of hydrophilic fabric and the inner is a hydrophobic fabric.

She says that sanitation in schools is mostly of a very low standard and therefore makes it extremely difficult for girls to discard used sanitary pads.She added, “Once it is used, the soiled pad is placed in a sealable packet for washing later. This product consists of an absorbent 100% cotton panty that allows the skin to breathe and hold up to 25-30 ml of discharge.”