Girls with Dignity Project launched

ALBERTON – Margaret who is a business leader, motivational speaker and warrior for women in the workplace, took on this ‘Girls with Dignity Project’ when she learnt that post-pubescent girls in underprivileged areas around the country (and throughout Africa) were not attending school for a week every month when they had their periods.

“These girls are missing out on three months of their education every year. I realised that it was something that had to be dealt with as a matter of urgency,” she said.

The packs consist of a panty that has press studs on it – the sanitary pad clips onto the panty.

The packs are very user friendly as the pad clips on and off easily, and the inner is a hydrophobic fabric.

It is fully washable and therefore reusable and will last for as long as five years.

Over and above the project, Margaret conveyed a motivational message to the learners in saying: “South Africa is a land of abundance. If you want to be successful you need to change your mind-set and work towards your goals and dreams. You cannot sit back and wait for things to happen. Make the best of your life and always do the best you can with what you have got right now.”

The Ekurhuleni West College (EWC) aspires to equip students with knowledge and skills by offering appropriate, quality, education and training programmes empowering students to readily obtain employment or become self-employed.

“We are very happy to have collaborated with EWC on this project,” said Brigitte Thysse, public relations and marketing officer at Hirsch.

Each Ntombizodwa Secondary School girl who would like to attain a sanitary pad needs to write an essay to Margaret with the topic: You are 90 years old sitting on your front porch looking back at your life and then you work back from when I was 80 to 70, 60, 50, 40, 30, 20 and finally right down to today… the day you heard Margaret Hirsch talk

Margaret will be returning to reward those who took the initiative to write the essay.