ICYMI: HeronBridge College learners donate sanitary pads to young girls in Diepsloot

Five HeronBridge College learners have joined forces with two organisations to donate sanitary pads to young girls in Diepsloot.

Liam Waller, Eliákim Gengadoo, Tyla van der Klis, Dean Hyslop and Dylan Simpson became part of the TeamHope group who will be working alongside Palesa Pads South Africa to get young girls through Safe Hub in Diepsloot equipped with reusable, eco-friendly sanitary pads.

Eliákim said that the group wanted to get rid of the stigma of periods and that people should not be ashamed for having a period. Liam said, “Most of the boys know about periods, but don’t know the emotion. After listening to girls who are part of a privileged community, I can only think of what girls in impoverished communities must be feeling.” Simon Crane, deputy head of the college said the idea of the project was discussed by a parent in 2019 and Safe Hub in Diepsloot had spoken with the girls who would come to the organisation. He explained that there was a need to have the project run every year as opposed to once at the time.

Elize Brassell, head of Grade 11 life orientation said she is hopeful this project can leave a legacy at the school, and that the group is ‘not going to settle for anything less than making a difference’. “I call projects like these ‘legacy projects’. There are going to be learners looking to get community service hours, so it’s very easy for us to be able to accommodate and it’s an extremely viable project in making a difference in a young woman’s life.” She added that there are life orientation aspects that come into play while working on the project such as social issues, gender-based violence and the effect of not being able to go to school because of menstruation.

Director of Palesa Pads South Africa, Omphemetse Plaatjies said she is excited to be working with the group and how they will contribute to the project. “This is the first time I have partnered with such a young group, and it’s amazing to see how they want to contribute to those who are in need of sanitary pads.” She added that through the group’s fundraising, six reusable pads and a cleaning kit which comes in a bucket will be donated to girls at a menstruating age.

Dean said while raising funds is a great factor to the project, there is also a need to have an environment in which people can have conversations about the ongoing social problems and interact with the community.

Details: For more information or to make a contribution, contact Elize Brassell on ebrassell@heronbridge.co.za.