Synergy foundation donates toiletries to north girls
They tackled households that had a minimum of 2 to 8 girls in each home around Soshanguve.
A local resident from the north of Pretoria donated toiletries to more than 20 households in Soshanguve recently.
Thulisile Mashiyane is the founder and director of Synergy Foundation.
“While a lot of organisations are focusing mainly on donating food parcels, we decided to step in and donate toiletrie mainly because the first thing anyone thinks to donate is food. I wanted to give something people don’t really think is vital.
“Toiletries and hygiene products are extremely important,” Mashiyane said.
The organisation aimed at households that had a minimum of two to eight girls in each home in and around Soshanguve. Each girl in those households received two packages of pads.
Synergy Foundation was established in May 2019 to help matriculants with their matric farewell outfits, hair and make-up.
They later started a shoe, uniform and stationery drive where they partnered with Angel’s Wings sanitary pads drive in January 2020.
Mashiyane told Rekord that the purpose of the foundation was to lend a helping hand to less fortunate girls.
“We aim to support young girls, orphans and all females from poor backgrounds to get education and empower them to be brave young woman without being abused or bullied.
“When I was doing my research, I noticed a lot of girls skip classes because of their periods. It’s surprising how some teachers at school don’t even follow up, so I reached out and helped where I can. The plan was to sort of adopt a minimum of five girls around my community, but as I was searching for those girls the number increased. I just couldn’t turn them away so my only option was to ask for donations and raise funds.”
READ MORE: North girl on pads drive
She said it hasn’t been easy to get donations but people have been really supportive.
“The pandemic has ruined a lot of our plans because we should have made a lot of donations to schools in Soshanguve and Mpumalanga. Everything is at a standstill. We are worried about the girls and if they are coping during this difficult times.
“I am happy that even though some of our plans have been cancelled, I am still able to give to the community.”
Mashiyane said she has a very strong background of giving and the fact that she can improve the lives of others filled her heart with joy.
“I always had school mates who were less fortunate. I have always been the one to help were I can that is why I am still doing it, because I don’t want to see any girl suffer or skip school because of the lack of toiletries.”
The Synergy Foundation plans to get a home to accommodate young girls from poor backgrounds and orphans in about five years’ time. A place where they could take care of the girls until they can stand on their own.
“Our plan is to reach out to young girls from poor backgrounds and empower them to stay in school. One of the most important aspects of our work is that of raising awareness and disseminating knowledge of key female issues. We want to teach these young girls/women to love themselves and focus on their careers without their background defining them,” Mashiyane said.
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