South African rapper and entrepreneur Cassper Nyovest says he’s planning a new initiative to fight period poverty, with a major target: helping at least one million girl learners across the country get consistent access to menstrual hygiene products.
Nyovest shared the news in a personal Instagram video, explaining that he only recently came across the term “period poverty” and began digging into the realities behind it. The award-winning artist said he’s been educating himself on what many girls endure and why it matters.
Quick facts
- Cassper Nyovest announced plans for an initiative to tackle period poverty in South Africa.
- His goal is to support at least one million girl learners with access to menstrual hygiene products.
- He said he learned about the term “period poverty” only a few weeks ago.
- Nyovest cited a statistic that 83% of girl learners lack consistent access to menstrual hygiene products at school or at home.
- He plans to officially launch the initiative on Mandela Day and kick-start fundraising with his own donation.
- He wants people, businesses, and organisations to join efforts to raise funds and awareness, with help aimed by Women’s Month.
“Have you ever heard of the term period poverty? A few weeks ago, I had never heard of the term. I never knew it existed,” he admitted in the clip. He added that becoming a husband and father—particularly to his daughter—pushed him to learn more about the issues affecting women and girls.
Nyovest said his new role in his family has changed how he approaches the topic, stressing that he’s trying to educate himself about women’s challenges. “Recently becoming a father to a beautiful daughter and a husband to a beautiful woman, I try to educate myself about women and their challenges, and this is one of the things that I’m learning about,” he said.
One figure, in particular, pushed him toward action: he pointed to the claim that 83% of girl learners don’t have consistent access to menstrual hygiene products either at school or at home. For him, the impact goes beyond supplies—he believes the consequences can affect a child’s ability to attend class.
“I think period poverty is not just about not having access to sanitary products, but it’s about dignity. It’s about health,” he said, making it clear he sees the issue as connected to wellbeing and respect. He also underscored that missing school due to menstruation should never shut a learner out of education.
Nyovest framed the problem as broader than gender, adding, “Period poverty is not a woman problem. I think it’s a South African problem. And more importantly, I think it’s a human problem.”
Turning intention into action, he revealed that the initiative will be officially launched on Mandela Day. He also said he will begin the fundraising campaign with his own donation as a starting point for others to get involved.
The rapper is inviting South Africans—along with businesses and organisations—to come on board to raise both funds and awareness. His ambitious plan is to assist one million schoolgirls by Women’s Month, while acknowledging the scale of the challenge.
“I might not be able to help every single girl child, but I think that we could definitely make an impact together,” he said.
Nyovest also shared that he will be partnering with a female-led company that has been educating him about the issue. He said the collaboration is expected to help ensure the initiative lands with real, lasting value.
While he didn’t yet lay out exactly how the public will be able to contribute—saying additional details will come once the programme begins—he emphasized that the campaign is meant to do more than distribute products. He hopes it will spark conversations around a challenge he believes many people still don’t fully understand.
