Changing the face of poverty

Twenty-year-old Zimkitha Mnukwa from Kaltehong is on a mission to better the lives of girls in her rural home town of Flagstaff in the Eastern Cape.

Zimkitha recently started her #IMatter campaign, which primarily focuses on collecting sanitary pads and clothing for underprivileged girls.

“I matriculated from Kwadukathole Comprehensive School in 2016, and when I was no longer using my uniform, I decided to give it to a girl in my neighbourhood who did not have a complete school uniform,” said Zimkitha.

“Once a few neighbours learnt of this, they asked me why I did not sell my uniform to make extra money. That’s when I realised that sometimes people who are in the position to help others still want to squeeze out money from the needy instead of just helping them.”

ALSO READ:  Young philanthropist aims to inspire her generation

She attributed that incident and remembering how she grew up in Flagstaff, when she never had enough money to buy school jerseys, blazers or even monthly supplies of toiletries, as her motivation to start this campaign.

“I know what it feels like to use a cloth as a sanitary pad and nervously having to check it between breaks to ensure that it was not too full and that it stayed in place until the after-school bell rings,” said Zimkitha.

“I once wore three pairs of panties, thinking they would prevent leakage, but they did not. That only resulted in me being the joke of the class because a teacher decided to humiliate me for not wearing a sanitary pad.

“Like many girls in my village, I found myself contemplating missing school every month during my menstrual cycle and even dropping out completely.”

According to Zimkitha, today many girls in her hometown still miss days of school when on their menstrual cycle, while many others do not have school shoes or jerseys and suffer greatly during winter, something she wants to change.

“I do not come from a supportive home, nor is it a rich one, but I believe I have the ability to make people smile and alleviate their financial stress just by giving the little I can give.

ALSO READ: Charity comes to the aid of the needy

Through #IMatter, Zimkitha said she wants young girls to find the strength to chase after their dreams, finish school and not have to worry about missing school or being embarrassed because they cannot afford school uniforms and sanitary pads.

“If I can make one little girl regain hope and stop feeling worthless because of her social status, then I know I will have given her the chance to take one step to go after her goals confidently,” she said.

Zimkitha will kick-start her donations at her former primary school, Diliza Junior Primary School, in the first week of August.

“I have identified a handful of the girls in my community who need help from #IMatter, and I have liaised with life-orientation teachers from six other surrounding schools also in Flagstaff to help me identify girls who need our help and we’ll assist them,” she added.

To learn more about #IMatter, contact Zimkitha by emailing zimkithamnukwa7@gmail.com.

Have a story?

Contact the newsroom by emailing: Melissa Hart (Editor) germistoncitynews@caxton.co.za or Leigh Hodgson (News Editor) leighh@caxton.co.za or Kgotsofalang Mashilo (journalist) kgotsofalangm@caxton.co.za

Also follow us on: