Download PDFSanitary towels, or sanitary pads, are menstrual products used for hygiene during periods. They are called sanitary because they help keep the body clean and reduce the risk of infection.
The pads help many girls who sometimes do not have enough money to buy them or who face a shortage at home. The support they receive at school helps them during times of need.
At schools in Eldorado Park, girls receive sanitary pads, including Missourilaan Secondary School and the “Blue School,” known as Eldorado Park Secondary School.
Boys at school are misusing this important resource, denying some who may be in dire need.
Girls from different schools say they do not like what some boys are doing because they depend on these pads.
Our boys need to be educated about how important sanitary products are for girls and why they should respect the girls at school, as well as their sisters.
One day, they may have wives and daughters too. Girls and women need access to sanitary products to help maintain good hygiene and reduce the risk of infection and other illnesses.
Karibu spoke to Cermanta from Eldorado Park, who said:
“Die jonkjies vat die pads en die roll-on en die lotion dan moors hulle dit hulle smeer dit aan die tafels en die pads word by die voor kop gesit met rooi geskryf op die pads.”
Translation: “The boys take the sanitary pads, roll-on and lotion. They spill the lotion on the tables and place the pads on the front board, writing on them with a red pen.”
The boys need to understand that good sanitation matters because poor sanitation allows germs to spread, increasing the risk of diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea, typhoid, and skin infections.
Good sanitation reduces disease, helps children miss fewer school days, and creates healthier communities.
That is why the saying goes, “Sanitation is dignity and health.” In places like Eldorado Park, broken toilets, blocked drains, and litter create unsanitary conditions that affect both people’s health and their dignity
This article was submitted on 02 July 2026. You may republish this article, so long as you credit the authors and Karibu! Online (www.Karibu.org.za), and do not change the text. Please include a link back to the original article.
