MOTSE Empowers Schoolgirls with Reusable Sanitary Pads

In many parts of the world, including our own region in Botswana, period poverty—the lack of access to sanitary products—remains a serious challenge for girls and women. In conversations with the school heads of Tsetsebjwe and Moletemane, Limpopo-Lipadi’s MOTSE Committee learned just how deeply this affects schoolgirls in our surrounding communities. Girls missing school days or feeling ashamed during their periods is a reality that demanded action.

While MOTSE and the Bobirwa District Council had previously worked together to distribute disposable pads, this proved to be a short-term solution. That’s when MOTSE explored a more sustainable option: reusable sanitary pads.

Enter Palesa Pads, a South African, women-led company producing reusable pads with a lifespan of five years or more. With their outreach now expanding into Botswana, they partnered with MOTSE to reach local schoolgirls.

Recently, two joyful handover ceremonies were held in Tsetsebjwe and Moletemane, reaching nearly 450 girls from the Junior Secondary School and upper primary classes. The events were rich with tradition—prayers, poems, and speeches—but also brought a burst of energy with the Palesa Pads team’s dynamic presentation. Cue Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off,” and the halls transformed into a dance floor full of singing, laughing, and confident girls.

The girls received not just pads but also an empowering session on menstrual health—what happens in the body during a period and how to care for their reusable pads to ensure comfort and dignity for years to come.

Thanks to this collaboration, these schoolgirls now have a solution that will help keep them in school and remove the stigma around their periods.

Want to learn more about what Motse does, or get involved in our community work?
 https://limpopo-lipadi.org/donate/