Sanitary towel provision boosts self-esteem
TEMBISA – Umqhele Secondary School pupils granted free sanitary towels and maths extra lessons by African Bank.
Umqhele Comprehensive Secondary School hosted a Smart Girls Rock initiative on 23 August sponsored by African Bank and South African Airways.
School principal, Otto Lekgoathi said the Smart Girls Rock session, which was centred around motivating young girls as well as supplying them with sanitary towels to boost self-esteem and improve the level of school attendance, has reaped the hoped-for results.
Otto said the pupils are more confident and now engage in class discussions and participate in field activities because of the continuous provision of sanitary towels by African Bank.
The bank has continued relations with the Ivory Park-based school and it has gone as far as starting up a literacy programme for pupils from Grade 8 to 10 where maths extra-lesson classes are held on a Wednesday and Thursday.
The bank’s Hanri Nel, Bibi Tilly and Natasha Johnston have selected 12 Grade 11 pupils to take part in a mentorship programme with Kennedy Dembetembe and Sinnah Moleke of African Bank.
Nel, Tilly and Johnston, who are driving the project, explained that the mentees are all female and were identified as the top achievers in the three schools the bank selected as part of this programme. Schools include Umqhele Comprehensive in Ivory Park, Ingqayizivele Secondary and Thuko Ke Maatla Secondary in Tembisa.
Nel explained that African Bank’s corporate social investment (CSI) activities are centred on education, including early childhood development, sports development, teacher development and entrepreneurship. The mentorship programme is the next logical step in terms of CSI.
Lekgoathi said the motivation given to the pupils has been hugely appreciated by the school and has assisted disadvantaged children to work hard without going through the monthly stress due to a shortage of sanitary towels.
