Madonsela joins Kili team to raise funds for girls’ dignity campaign

She is used to putting one foot in front of the other doing her mountains of work as former Public Protector, but Professor Thuli Madonsela will be facing another daunting climb – this time Africa’s great equaliser.

Madonsela on Sunday joined a team of climbers sent off for the gruelling Trek4Mandela expedition up Mount Kilimanjaro to raise funds for sanitary towels for school girls. They are aiming to summit symbolically on Friday, August 9, in honour of Women’s Day.

The climb is a partnership with the Nelson Mandela Foundation and the Imbumba Foundation and teammates range from media personalities to corporate executives.

Fellow climber Mari Van Wyk told SABC news that girls should be given an equal chance to complete their education with their boy counterparts.

One of their aims is to raise money for sanitary towels because the lack of these products often make girls skip school during their menstruation which causes them to fall behind on work. Imbumba’s “Caring 4 Girls” programme also helps girls understand changes during puberty, and gives them a voice on body autonomy and gender equality, according to the website.

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