Dan Mdluli
GROBLERSDAL Police Officers from the Social Crime Prevention Unit handed over sanitary towels to learners at Rakidiwane Primary School outside Groblersdal last Wednesday.
The initiative came after the realisation that most parents living and working on farms could not afford sanitary towels for their daughters.
Groblersdal Police Spokesperson, Const Julia Mampa, said Rakidiwane Primary School was only the first school to receive sanitary towels and they plan to help other schools in their policing area, giving special focus to farm schools.
“We noticed that children at farm schools did not have the means to buy sanitary towels which is why we decided to reach out to them through this donation.
The sanitary towels were donated by police officers from the station. This is the first roll-out and we hope to get more donations so we can reach out to even more schools,” said Mampa.
She said the sanitary towels would help to restore the girl learners’ dignity and confidence, adding that she hoped they would no longer need to miss school due to a lack of sanitary towels when they need them.
Rakidiwane Primary School Principal, Baganang Mohlala, said they were faced with a huge challenge of learners who needed to stay home and miss classes during their menstrual cycle due to a lack of sanitary towels in farming areas.
“This donation will help us a lot. Our learners sometimes don’t come to school but with this donation we will be able to help them and reduce absenteeism. We sometimes donate to the learners as a school but is not enough,” said Mohlala.
Along with the donation, police cautioned learners against partaking in crime, with major focus on the purchase of stolen goods.
The learners were also informed about children’s rights and various forms of abuse. After the awareness campaign they received anti-crime pamphlets which advised how to report crime.
Home-based carers gave the girl learners information about hygiene and living a healthy lifestyle.
thoko@nmgroup.co.za
