INITIATIVES
2024 - Primary School Period Panty Initiative
Every month, 1-in-4 girl learners miss school due to a lack of necessary support during their menstrual cycle.
The objective of this initiative is to educate Primary School girls and arm them with the knowledge they need to understand what is happening in their bodies and how to take care of themselves, with assistance from a local pelvic floor physio, Tash Gibson.
Each girl receives pads, 2x BodHi B reusable period panties and a waterproof bag (made with the help of a local lady) for storage of these items. This is an ongoing initiative. The schools that have been involved to-date include Bahia Formosa, Harkerville & The Crags Primary Schools.
2025 - Community Comes Together for Murray High
We were contacted by Murray High School in Kwanokuthula, who shared that the school had not received their usual monthly supply of sanitary pads from the government. With many of their female learners depending on this vital support, they turned to us for help.
We put out a call on our Instagram and social media platforms, and within days, the response from the community was overwhelming. Thanks to their generosity, we were able to collect and donate over 20 boxes of sanitary pads to Murray High School—ensuring that no girl had to miss a day of school due to lack of access to menstrual products.
A special thank you to:
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Klinicare Plettenberg Bay
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Duncan Brown from KwikSpar, in association with the Plett Country Club
Your contributions played a key role in making this possible.
We are truly blown away by the way the Plett community came together to meet an urgent need with compassion and speed. This is what community looks like.
2025 - Supporting Young Girls Through Puberty, One Pack at a Time
In 2024, Hope Rising SA launched an initiative to support girls as they begin their journey through puberty. We began by distributing puberty starter packs that included two period panties, offering a cost-effective and reusable solution for menstrual care.
As we listened and learned from the girls and schools we worked with, we identified additional needs. In 2025, we expanded the contents of the starter packs to include:
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Three panties instead of two
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Training/Sports Bras – Many girls don’t have access to bras, which leads to them being reluctant to participate in sport, and they wear jackets or jerseys throughout the school day—even in hot weather.
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A brand-new puberty booklet, filled with age-appropriate, empowering information to help girls understand their changing bodies.
These updates are more than just physical items—they’re part of our ongoing commitment to support young girls with care, dignity, and understanding. To-date we have visited the following schools: Wittedrift, Crags, Bahia & Phakamasani Primary Schools.
2024 - Shelter Outreach
​Assistance was given to a local shelter by donating much needed panties, pads and toiletries to girls who have very little. These are basic needs that these girls were living without.
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Included in each girls' package was an encouraging message that they could put up somewhere to remind them of their worth and motivate them to keep dreaming, regardless of their current position.
2024 - Matric Dance Assistance
Following last year's matric dance initiative, a local High School reached out to us to assist 2 girls who were not able to attend their matric dance, due to them being unable to afford an outfit for the occasion. Hope Rising SA was able to assist in this regard, utilizing dresses that were collected in 2023.
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With the help of 2 local businesses, Meraki & Garden Spa, we were able to treat the girls to having their hair, nails and make up done professionally. They were also gifted a dignity bag each, with toiletries and sanitary products. ​
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2023 - Murray High Period Cup Initiative
We had a very empowering morning with the 2023 Murray High matric class, where we were able to give each matric girl a period cup, to help lighten their monthly financial burden as they embarked on a new chapter in their lives.
​Thanks to the incredible generosity of everyone who attended our fundraiser event on 21 June 2023, we were able to distribute a total of 161 menstrual cups.
We wholeheartedly believe in the potential and power of these young women. We are determined that nothing, especially not their periods, should stand in the way of them pursuing their dreams.
In addition to providing the menstrual cups, we offered support and education to the recipients. Our hope is that these cups will not only save these girls a significant amount of money but also protect their dignity for the decade they can use them.
2023 - Kwano Self-Defense Initiative
Together with a local self-defense expert, we hosted self-defense workshops to enable women to protect themselves, should they ever find themselves in that unthinkable position.
2023 - Murray High Matric Dance Initiative
A few days before the Murray High matric dance, we were informed that there were students who had nothing to wear. We reached out to the Plettenberg Bay community and we were able to put together a whole wardrobe of dresses and accessories to help these students look and feel their best.