Libresse and Atlas partner to provide free period pads in vending machines to combat period poverty

If you’re a woman, you’d probably understand the struggle of having to stock up on period pads every month… and the dire consequences that come with not having a period pad on-hand.  As such, it’s become a cause of concern that period poverty is still a pertinent issue here in Malaysia. This is especially true for women in the lower-income earning categories of the country, who lack access to adequate safe and hygienic menstrual products during their time of the month.

As such, ATLAS Vending and Libresse recently partnered up to counter this pressing issue by launching their latest product last week: A vending machine that dispenses period pads for FREE.

Here’s how it works…

Students can get FREE period pads, with a simple tap of a card

As the first step, ATLAS Vending and Libresse started off with installing these vending machines in local schools and a hospital in Cheras. This was done with support from the Constituency of Bandar Tun Razak. This initiative is projected to provide up to 600 recipients with a free sanitary pad pack each month. Each vending machine will be providing students with around 12 packs of 32-cm Libresse sanitary pads, which will be restocked once a month. Routine maintenance will also be conducted by ATLAS Vending to ensure the vending machines are in order.

The vending machines will also utilise a card access system to dispense the free packs of sanitary napkins. However, the access cards will only be given to selected individuals who have been identified to benefit the most from this initiative.

“One of the most worrying things is that 1 in 4 females are absent from schools during their periods. So, what we will be looking to work together with the schools to measure students’ attendance, to see if this initiative helps.” – Amy Gan, Vice President of Marketing at Etika Sdn Bhd (representing ATLAS Vending).

Fortunately, they will be looking to expand this initiative to other schools. Targeting especially those in remote areas, where this programme may achieve the most amount of benefit. The initiative is projected to go on for 6 months, before expanding their horizons to other schools and communities across Malaysia.

For more information on this campaign, you may check out ATLAS’s website here.