Vosloorus primary schools receive sanitary towels

The sanitary drive started on March 4 at Thabang Primary School, followed by Thembimfondo Primary School on March 5.

ANCWL chairperson and Ward 47 councillor Thandi Nkosi said they aim to donate to three schools in Vosloorus.

“As ANCWL and as parents, we know there is a need to donate sanitary towels because we know we are at disadvantaged schools whereby some parents cannot afford it,” said Nkosi.

She said they saw the need to have this drive because children are afraid to come to school during their menstrual cycle due to the lack of sanitary towels.

“The third school we will visit is Thutolesedi High School. At the moment we are still collecting. After this donation we will start the second drive where we plan to include tights for girls to comfortably wear their pads. We want girl children to have self-esteem and dignity,” she said.

ANCWL head of education Thokozile Tshabalala said they prefer going to schools because teachers are also parents.

They can also help learners and provide them with pads to use at home, as some learners are being raised by their fathers and uncles.

KMF founder Kelello Mohlakoana explained their foundation aims to continue distributing sanitary towels.

“I realised millions of girls are missing school because they cannot afford sanitary towels, so I decided to join the movement and see how I can help, especially with the ongoing pandemic and people having lost their jobs,” she said.

Mohlakoana said they are looking into distributing sanitary cups, which is a sustainable alternative to sanitary towels because they can be reused for up to five years.

The deputy principal Thobile Mthembu of Thembimfondo Primary School said he is happy about the donation, adding they will be of good use to learners who come from a disadvantaged background.

He said when a learner misses school because of their cycle they miss out on a lot of schoolwork.