Local girl donates sanitary pads to learners of Maphetho Primary School

E fa Lethabo Pad Drive donated sanitary pads to young girls on April 2.Lethabo Dube, the founder of E fa Lethabo Pad Drive, visited Rev Maphetho Primary School to hand over the donated sanitary pads to the girls.

Dube started the drive after hearing that young girls were struggling to afford sanitary pads because of different situations in their homes and some parents are unemployed.

She decided to offer a helping hand where she could. With the help of her family, the drive will take place every month at the school.

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Dube said that she chose Rev Maphetho Primary School because she heard young girls struggled to afford sanitary pads, which led to the girls missing countless school days.

“Another reason for choosing that school is because my grandma teaches there; so instead of reaching out to a different school with people I don’t know, I decided to go to this school. I would rather help a school close to my grandmother’s heart,” Dube said.

Rev Maphetho Primary School teacher Mmabotse Rachidi said since she started teaching at the school, she has witnessed many girls getting their periods while not having pads.

“Because our girls do not have pads, they are using the wrong materials to stop the period. Some use cloths or toilet paper and end up having leaks because that is not the right material for menstruation.

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“They end up bleeding on themselves and they would wrap their jerseys around their waists to hide the mess,” said Rachidi.

The young girls had an opportunity to introduce themselves and tell everyone what they wanted to become when they were older.

Dube was given a platform to introduce herself to the girls, and the learners could ask her questions about menstruation.

Dube’s mother helped the girls with dealing with confidence through affirmations.

She shared with them that they should tell themselves they are beautiful and they are smart every day in the morning.

The girls, together with Dube, did trending TikTok dance challenges, including Vala Umkhukhu and Tshwala Bami, to be relaxed and have fun.

Rev Maphetho Primary School teacher Landela Ngala added some girls are missing school due to not having sanitary pads, and get behind in school work.

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“Because of the lack of sanitary pads, some girls are missing school, and their parents can’t afford to buy pads for them. Sometimes they come to me when they bleed on themselves and do not have sanitary pads.

“I would do my best to find pads for them, but it is only for that day. It is really a problem because they will not have a pad for the following day or the rest of the week,” Ngala said.