King Edward VII School (KES) and Brescia House School’s sanitary pad drive proved to be a success as distribution began.
The initiative was aimed at raising money to purchase the sanitary pads and to make a difference in society by lending a helping hand to those who need it most.
The drive ran from the 9 to 30 April and in excess of R100 000 was raised which translated to 100 000 sanitary pads being purchased.
Handovers to the different beneficiaries of the initiative started on 21 June where KES head boy Glen McKenzie and Brescia’s head girl Kirsten Veitch handed over:
q 20 000 sanitary towels and donations of soap to Johannesburg Children’s Home that cares for orphans and vulnerable children who are disadvantaged through physical, sexual or emotional abuse, severe neglect or abandonment, and some are affected or infected by HIV/Aids.
- 19 200 sanitary towels to the Teddy Bear foundation that offers response to an urgent need for medical examinations for sexually abused children, forensic medical examinations, forensic assessments, counselling, psychological testing and more recently, a diversion programme for youth sexual offenders. A donation of knitted stress balls for the little children in the trauma division were delivered thanks to the money raised by the boys and girls of the respective schools. The foundation is also set to receive an additional 430 sanitary towel packs.
- 19 200 sanitary towels to People Opposing Women Abuse (Powa), a women’s rights organisation that engages in advocacy to ensure the realisation of women’s rights and thereby improve women’s quality of life.
Dr Shaheda Omar of the Teddy Bear Foundation told Rosebank Killarney Gazette that the foundation was super excited to see children from the schools rise up to the challenge to provide for the needs of children from previously disadvantaged backgrounds.
“The drive will enable the girls to be able to attend school on a regular basis and will prevent them from missing out on school during those days of the month,” she added.
The balance of the sanitary products would be donated to Kids Haven Village in Benoni and Polokong Children’s Home in Evaton.
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