Sweat for a Good Cause & Fight Period Poverty This Mandela Day

Mandela Day is fast approaching, so why not sweat for a good cause with Ignite Fitness? The South African gym has partnered with the MENstruation Foundation to fight Period Poverty this Mandela Day and you’re invited to get involved and sweat for a good cause.

With ten gyms in South Africa, Ignite Fitness will be hosting an Open Month for the entire July with the Unity Challenge happening on 18 July at all the Ignite Fitness clubs across South Africa. The primary goal is to collect sanitary pads for girls in South Africa. “In 2022, we collected 4000 pads in one week, imagine what we can do in one month!” says Global Marketing Manager for Ignite Fitness, Lauren Vanacore.

Members and non-members are all invited to attend training during this time period, with a pack of sanitary pads getting you through the door for a complimentary training session.

“The more members we reach, the more sanitary products we are able to collect. Currently, 3 in 10 girls miss one week of school every month because they simply don’t have access to a basic human right – sanitary products! We want to try our best to do our part in making sure MENstruation is able to do the best job it can to help these girls. Sanitary Pads get you access to our gyms!” adds Vanacore.

The MENstruation Foundation is a nonprofit organisation that fights period poverty and gives women dignity! Girls in South Africa miss school and stay at home because of menstruation. The culture of silence around menstruation limits the ability of women and girls to participate in society equally. It undermines their social status and self-esteem.

“It was an absolute no-brainer for us to get involved. We are incredibly proud to play host to this initiative and to act as the drop-off brick and mortars for this incredible campaign. We cannot wait to collect more sanitary products than in 2022!” says Schalk Hugo, CEO, and Founder of Ignite Fitness.

The MENstruation Foundation is a nonprofit organisation that strives to create free access to sanitary pads for young women during their menstrual cycle. Girls in South Africa miss school and stay at home because of menstruation-related challenges, empowering them to go to school or work, play sports, and participate in life despite not being able to afford sanitary products.”

Over 4 million women in schools, varsities, and sports clinics miss education and training for an average of 5 days per month because of the lack of access to sanitary products. Period Poverty disempowers too many women in our society.” says Marius Basson, co-founder of the MENstruation Foundation.

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The latest and most exciting initiative from MENstruation Foundation is their Sanitary Pad Vending Machine. Here, each schoolgirl receives one token that she can use to retrieve a pack of eight sanitary pads per month. “The more Sanitary pad Vending Machines we have available at schools, sanitary pads donated, and funds raised, the greater our opportunity to fight Period Poverty!” adds MENstruation Foundation co-founder, Siv Ngesi.

On 18 July, in celebration of Madiba Day, Ignite Fitness will be hosting a Unity Challenge where members and non-members can participate in the event and walk away winners. The winning team will have the opportunity to deliver the collected sanitary products alongside Siv and Marius, to these incredible young women. A prize not measured by ZAR but rather by the impact you have on those less fortunate.

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The challenge will consist of 10 exercises, each with 67 reps. As a team of 2, the members will have to complete the entire challenge. The event itself will take place at 06:30 and again at 17:30 on 18 July. The winning team will be announced on the same day.

If you have never been to Ignite Fitness, you can expect euphoric music, open spaces, and the latest equipment and lighting. So whether you opt for a morning, lunch or evening session — it’s always a vibe!

Find your nearest Ignite Fitness and get involved at these branches: