The University of the Western Cape has launched its Students On The Go programme, which is about installing sanitary pad vending machines aimed at making sanitary pads available to students who need them.

This is part of a nationwide programme at five universities, sponsored by a well-known chain store. After applying for a token, the product will be available to about 18 000 students each month, nationally.

Fourteen sanitary towel vending machines have been installed in the University of the Western Cape (UWC). This is part of a national campaign spearheaded by a charity organisation. Thirty machines are installed at specific campuses nationwide, providing just over two million sanitary towels a year, 8 000 of these are at the UWC.

Vice Chancellor Robert Balfour says academic excellence is also about proper wellness programmes. “When students cannot access pads, they sometimes don’t come to class, they don’t speak up, they don’t participate and that affects their academic progress. So this initiative is part of our academic journey, and I think of it as part of student success. When students feel they are able to bring their full selves into the environment without barriers like this, then we reach full academic potential.”

Sanitary pads machine | UWC’s campaign to assist university students

The initiative is spearheaded by the organisation, MENstruation Foundation. Co-founder Siv Ngesi says it is made possible through R2 million worth of funding from a local health, wellness and pharmacy retailer.

“The mission is to make sure every young woman has access to sanitary pads. 22 million women bleed every single month. Eight million of them cannot afford to buy pads and four million of them are in universities and at schools. Our mission is to make sure everyone has access to pads and is not missing school. Women who cannot afford pads miss up to four days of school a month.”

The SRC’s Phindile Dlamini says the programme is a response to student appeals. “Students come to us in the middle of the night crying and telling us that they can’t afford the pads and you as the SRC, you are also a student and you cannot afford them on your own so you have to also try and negotiate with the SRCs on how you can contribute and try to buy that student sanitary pads, so this project is such a huge  accomplishment.”

Organisers say this is one more attempt to end what they call “period poverty.”

[EVENT] The University of the Western Cape, receiving 14 of these units, has been selected for the official launch. #IAmUWC #StudentsontheGo #MenstruationFoundation pic.twitter.com/y6FFbvxYBu

— UWC (@UWConline) August 7, 2025