Empoweriod · Menstrual Preparedness Infrastructure · South Africa

No school-going learner should be caught unprepared.

Period Pal is a behaviour change system — not a pad donation programme.

It connects education, access, and accountability into one infrastructure that turns reactive crisis management into proactive, dignified preparedness.

91%

stress reduction
in a single session

46%

of learners miss school
due to periods

87%

had insufficient prep
at first period

250

learners targeted
across pilot schools

Book a 20-minute call Why behaviour change?

The real difference

Most programmes stop at information. We change what happens after.

There is no shortage of menstrual health content in South Africa. The gap is not knowledge — it is the structured behaviour that knowledge should produce. Period Pal is built around that gap.

Learners rehearse real decisions before they need to make themThe board game simulates the exact moments — the classroom, the bag check, the question nobody answers. Learners build confidence through practice, not lecture.

Parents shift from reactive panic to scheduled preparednessThe app moves menstrual management out of the crisis moment and into a routine — cycle alerts, advance pad credits, school access activated before the need arises.

Schools stop managing emergencies and start running systemsDignified, discreet, logged access replaces the informal borrowing chain. Administrators get verifiable data. Sponsors get auditable outcomes.

Without Period Pal

With Period Pal

Learner arrives unprepared. Crisis unfolds in real time.

Parent receives advance alert. Pad credits are already loaded.

Teacher scrambles to find a pad. Lesson disrupted.

Learner collects from the school collection point. Lesson continues undisturbed.

Learner avoids school on heavy days. Misses curriculum.

Learner has practised managing this. Confidence is built in.

Sponsor donates pads. No data on who received them.

Every collection logged. Sponsor receives a verified impact report.

Programme ends. Behaviour reverts. Nothing structural changes.

System stays. Behaviour is embedded. Infrastructure persists.

One system. Two active components.

Not a product. A preparedness infrastructure.

The board game builds the behaviour. The app sustains it between school and home. The pad credit system ensures access is there when it is needed — tracked, verified, and accountable.

Board Game

Education that changes behaviour

A facilitator-led board game simulating real menstrual scenarios in a safe, age-appropriate environment. Builds preparedness habits and shared language. Grades 4–9, groups of 20–60 learners, 45–60 minute sessions. Measurable pre- and post-session literacy improvement.

Parent App

Proactive management, not reactive panic

Parents track their daughter's cycle, receive advance alerts, purchase pad credits, and confirm school collection — shifting menstrual management from emergency to routine. Premium Parent Hub at R29/month provides deeper guidance, conversation tools, and phase-aware support.

Pad Credit System

How access works in practice

Credits are purchased by parents or sponsored by organisations. Each credit corresponds to one pad pack, allocated digitally to a learner. Collection occurs at designated school points and is confirmed automatically — creating a full audit trail for schools and sponsors.

Parent purchases credits

Via the app, in advance of need. Or sponsored by a CSI partner on the learner's behalf.

Credits allocated to learner

Digitally assigned. Learner is covered before she arrives at school.

Learner collects at school

Discreetly, from a designated collection point. No borrowing. No asking.

Collection confirmed

Logged automatically. Sponsor receives verified proof. School has full visibility.

The problem

Menstrual unpreparedness is a systemic failure — not an isolated incident.

In South African schools, learners are regularly caught without products, without knowledge, and without support. The consequences are measurable.

What the silence costs. 87% of learners had insufficient preparation at their first period. 100% of learners surveyed want proper education. Current delivery formats are failing to meet it. Period Pal was built to close that gap systematically.

46%

miss school or an activity regularly or sometimes due to their period — a recurring monthly disruption to learning.

87%

had insufficient preparation at first period. The moment learners most need support, the system is absent.

100%

of learners surveyed want to learn about periods in a fun, simple, and relatable way. The demand for better education is unanimous.

82%

of learners yet to start feel unprepared or unsure — the highest-risk group and the most important target for early intervention.

54%

lack a private toilet at both school and home. Discreet, self-service access directly addresses this dignity gap.

Based on Empoweriod's own primary research, KwaZulu-Natal, 2025.

Early traction

Early signal. Consistent results.

This is early-stage data from a small sample. We present it transparently — as an initial signal, not statistically representative findings. A multi-school pilot targeting 250 learners across KwaZulu-Natal is underway.

91%

Average stress reduction
across all sessions

5.0→0.4

Average stress score before
vs after (0–7 scale)

4 of 4

High-stress learners
reached zero in one session

“I feel seen.”

Learner — Period Pal Session 2, said unprompted during the closing ritual

What comes next. The multi-school pilot targets 250 learners across KwaZulu-Natal, delivered through facilitated sessions with Grade 4 to 9 learners across multiple school contexts. It will produce session-by-session stress data, confidence scores, learner feedback, and facilitator reports — compiled into a full impact report for commissioning partners. Partners who engage now participate in shaping the methodology and receive first access to the findings.

Pilot progress — facilitated sessions completed 2 sessions delivered

We track this publicly because accountability is built into how we operate. 2 sessions delivered in KwaZulu-Natal, targeting 250 learners across multiple schools. The data above reflects real results from real learners — not projections. Every session adds to the evidence base.

Recognition

2nd Place — Lovable Buildathon

Period Pal placed 2nd in Lovable's Buildathon, December 2025. Third-party validation that the product concept and execution stand up to competitive scrutiny.

About Empoweriod

The organisation building preparedness infrastructure for young people.

Empoweriod is a registered South African social enterprise developing behavioural tools that improve health education outcomes in school environments. Period Pal is our flagship product.

We do not run awareness campaigns. We build systems with measurable outcomes, verifiable data, and sustainable revenue models. Every component of Period Pal is designed to function as infrastructure — not a once-off intervention.

We are currently in the pilot phase, proving the system across schools in KwaZulu-Natal before pursuing scale. Partners who engage at this stage help shape what that scale looks like.

Empoweriod (Pty) Ltd · Reg: 2025/572579/07 · Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Farieda Jali

Founder & CEO, Empoweriod

farieda@empoweriod.co.za

071 515 9743

Durban, South Africa