Empowering the girl child

DIEPSLOOT – Trust hands out more than 500 sanitary packs to female pupils at Itirele Zenzele High School in an attempt to reduce the number of girls who fail grades because of their menstrual cycle.

May 31, 2016

Tsholofelo Mosina 1 minute read

EMPOWERED: Itirele Zenzele High School pupils show off their sanitary packs.

Of the nine million girls in South Africa between the age of 13 to 19, about 2.5 million will fail grades or miss days of school due to the lack of basic sanitary wear which hinders their attendance at school during their menstrual cycles.

Attempting to bring down these figures, Clicks Helping Hand Trust, a non-profit organisation, has joined up with Subz Pads and Panties, and Project Dignity to deliver packs of washable, reusable sanitary pads and panties as part of the Girls on the Go campaign.

Speaking at Itirele Zenzele High School in Diepsloot, Liat Beinart, Helping Hand Trust co-ordinator explained that the pads were designed to last five years so that the girl child can remain in school.

According to Beinart, each pack comprises nine washable pads and three pairs of panties that will see each young woman through five worry-free days for five years – the average time spent at school before entry into tertiary institutions or the working environment.

The Clicks Helping Hand Trust handed out more than 500 packs to female pupils at Itirele Zenzele High School and aims to assist 5 000 schoolgirls this year.

Many of the female pupils were grateful for their new packs. Ovayo Sam, a Grade 8 pupil at the school said, “It makes me feel good about being a woman and not embarrassed about my period – it is empowering.”

The patented Subz products were created by Sue Barnes, founder of Project Dignity. The pads are SABS absorbency approved and endorsed by obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr Altwood-Smith and pharmacist Anton Lawrenz.

Beinart added that the project would restore self-confidence to many of the girls, and keep them ‘present, educated and empowered’.