Currently in South Africa, around 30% of school-aged girls regularly miss school because they cannot afford menstrual hygiene products. This translates to approximately 50 days of missed learning per year per girl, placing them at a serious educational disadvantage. The situation is made worse by the lack of basic sanitation facilities in over 1 700 schools according to WHO/UNICEF’s Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) report (2021–2024), where access to running water and soap remains limited.
That’s why SPAR has made a bold commitment – to help end period poverty in South Africa by 2030. To achieve that, SPAR is calling on one of its most powerful communities – South African women in sport- to join the movement. Furthermore, calling on other businesses and government sector to step in to offer support.
As part of its ongoing campaign, SPAR matched goals scored during the Telkom Netball League’s (TNL) Power Play Shootout. The team that scored the most goals during the Power Play Shootout earned a packet of SPAR Petals sanitary pads for every goal scored across the TNL Power Week 2, that took place in Sun City, Northwest Province. The winning team will donate the collected pads to a charity of their choice, ensuring that the current Netball talent encourages the spirit of giving back through meaningful contributions to young girls and women in their different communities.
“This is not just a health and accessibility issue, it’s a matter of dignity, equality, and missed opportunities,” says Mpudi Maubane, National PR, Communications & Sponsorships Manager at SPAR. “We can no longer afford to ignore the impact period poverty is having on our girls’ and women in general”. “This initiative is about more than donations,” adds Maubane. “We are committed to implementing practical interventions – making sanitary products affordable and accessible by increasing a network of other partners to join the movement, while also working to normalise conversations around menstruation, which is still considered a taboo topic in many communities.”
This activation follows SPAR’s bold move on Menstrual Hygiene Day (28 May), where the brand partnered with unconventional advocates to raise national awareness around the issue and challenged harmful stigmas surrounding menstruation. SPAR believes that sport is not just about competition – it’s about community building and empowerment. Through this pledge, netball is turning their goals into real-world impact, helping ensure that no girl is left behind simply because of her period.
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