Two young men make a difference in community
"We decided to start this campaign to show that this is our struggle also as males and this is one of the things we can do to show our fellow sisters that we might not know how it feels, but we're here for them."
Two young men from Soshanguve in the north of Pretoria decided to make a difference in young girls’ lives by collecting sanitary pads for them.
Jacob Ngqola (24) and Lehlohonolo Phala (25) came up with the idea of collecting the pads for those who can’t afford them because of financial difficulties.
The two men from Soshanguve do not belong to any organisation, but they saw a need to help girls from their communities and decided to do something about it.
They started a campaign titled ‘One Girl One Pad‘, saying the name represented the thousands more who could not afford a mere pack of sanitary pads. Phala said they started the campaign in 2018 and never looked back.
“The purpose of the campaign is to help young teenage girls who come from poor backgrounds. We knew that the lockdown would have a strenuous effect on families who live from hand to mouth. Sanitary towels are a need and most families cannot actually afford to buy them.”
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“We decided to start this campaign to show that this is our struggle also as males and this is one of the things we can do to show our fellow sisters that we might not know how it feels, but we’re here for them,” said Phala.
The project has helped more than 2 000 girls since it was launched. The pair told Rekord that when they started, they used to buy the pads from their own pockets. Since Covid-19, they received assistance from friends and colleagues.
“We are from a society where there is no money, but people are very supportive,” said Ngqola.
He said their passion ignited when they were still in high school when they saw that some of their classmates would not come to school for days because they did not have any pads, missing out on crucial lessons.
“We were both raised by strong single women who did the most for us. So we saw it right for us to give a helping hand to teenage girls who need help through this tough time.”
Ngqola said they want to donate to more 2 000 girls every month. Anyone who would like to donate sanitary pads, can contact them on 079-863-1822.
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