Hillcrest resident reaches out to hundreds of women

REAL-life experiences and a passion for community upliftment are what inspired Mooi ‘Mazo’ Mthethwa, from Hillcrest, to make a positive impact on hundreds of young lives with the assistance of Project Dignity.

Mthethwa, a motivational speaker has been working actively in the Upper Highway area, providing young women with reusable sanitary pads. Mooi said she comes from an impoverished home and that gives her a basis for understanding the desperation felt by many young girls.

Mthethwa grew up in the township of KwaMashu and then the uMlazi informal settlement, following riots. She spent her high school afternoons selling various trade items on the roadside to help put food on the table.

“We would all share the income we received, my mom worked as a hawker, selling clothes and meats, and was often away for months at a time and in those months there was not enough money to buy sanitary pads and I had to use cloth or even toilet paper,” said Mthethwa.

Mthethwa found a job as a cleaner for one of her lecturers who assisted with funding her tertiary studies. She obtained a Diploma in Education through Adams Mission. She now also has a Bachelor’s Degree as well as several diploma’s in Life Skills including a Diploma in Theology.

After she resigned from teaching following an illness, Mthethwa was introduced to City Hill Church through her daughter. She quickly got involved in the organisation’s non-profit, Nation Changers, which has 360 volunteers involved in 51 ongoing projects, primarily in the Upper Highway area.

Mthethwa committed herself to working with the organisation’s non-profit extension, Project Dignity after a talk by founder, Sue Barnes.

The NGO works with sponsors to donate packs of eco-friendly sanitary pads and accompanying underwear to young girls in disadvantaged areas.

Barnes established the organisation to meet the needs of many disadvantaged families who, like Mooi in her youth, cannot afford cosmetic items such as sanitary pads.

The knock-on effect is that young learners abstain from school for several weeks throughout the school year, missing out on crucial education time that could cost them a future.

Barnes designed the hygienic, washable sanitary pad which clips onto a cotton underwear, which can be reused for up to five years.

“When I heard Sue talk, it resonated with something inside of me. I had been in that situation and I really felt it was my passion to do something for these children,” said Mthethwa.

Through Nation Changers, Mthethwa assists in identifying schools in the area where young women can benefit from the Subz packs’ donations.

She then helps with the sourcing of the necessary funding for the packs and attends the school activations with the Project Dignity team where she gives motivational talks to the children.

To get involved with Project Dignity, visit www.subzpads.co.za.