PillSquad Launches Project to Help Ease ‘Monthly Blues’ for Young Girls

New CSI initiative delivers sanitary towels to underprivileged matriculant pupils.   

Cape Town, 7 August 2017 - At an average cost of R30 for a pack of 20 sanitary pads, these monthly necessities are often at the bottom of a shopping list, if at all, for those struggling to make ends meet. Without access to adequate sanitary wear to see them through their menstrual cycle, many girls and teens in South Africa stay away from school during this time, with some falling so far behind the curriculum that they land up dropping out before matriculating.This impacts on their ability to gain valuable education intended to help elevate them from poverty, creating a vicious circle.  

PillSquad, a division of acclaimed Iyeza Health, aims to relieve some of the burden by providing donations of sanitary pads to schools in impoverished areas. The first batch was delivered to matriculant learners at Oaklands High School in Kenwyn, Cape Town in July 2017. The objective is to donate 10,000 pads to schools in Cape Town within the first year and plans to extend this to equal amounts in all provinces in 2018.

Sizwe Nzima, founder of Iyeza Health, says: “What a moving moment it was to watch the girls’ faces light up as they received their packages. We know that we are making a difference to their lives.” The initiative is being funded by a portion of proceeds generated via Iyeza Health’s PillSquad division, a service which allows women to load their contraceptive pill prescription to the website and receive convenient delivery of their pills at monthly intervals. This helps to bridge the gap between government clinics, private pharmacies and the general public. Nzima adds: “We appreciate the opportunity to get in at a grassroots level and not only distribute the sanitary towels, but also to educate the these young ladies about the importance of family planning and practicing safe sex too.”  

About Iyeza HealthIyeza Health stems from humble beginnings where founder, Sizwe Nzima, used a single bicycle to deliver chronic medication to his grandmother’s home. After spotting a desperate need for the service in the wider community, Nzima set up a bicycle courier service, Iyeza Express, and delivered life-saving prescription medication throughout the Khayelitsha. Iyeza means both ‘medicine’ and ‘it is coming’ in Xhosa.  

Now, as Iyeza Health, the company fulfills this promise by providing medication delivery services throughout South Africa, with a special focus on medication for maintaining the health of those with lifelong illnesses such as hypertension and diabetes. In addition, Iyeza Health offers dedicated services for contraceptives, through divisions such as PillSquad, and have aggressive goals to offer accessible alternatives to the current status quo in the health products distribution and supply chain.  

For more information visitwww.iyezahealth.co.zawww.pillsquad.co.za 

ContactSizwe NzimaFounder Iyeza HealthThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.0860 7737 2582