Organisation donates shoes and pads for two schools
“The learners walk long distances to school while other learners’ parents are unemployed and can’t afford to buy school shoes and sanitary pads.”
The Ward 18 PA councillors donated school shoes and sanitary pads to learners of Nwa Vangani Primary School and Somafco Secondary School on Monday.
Sedibana Biyaya said the donation of sanitary pads and school shoes is part of the “Keep a girl-child in school” programme the PA started in 2020.
He said this year they decided to buy school shoes for the boys because “we are always looking at the girls and forgetting the boys”.
“I grew up in a poverty-stricken family and I understand what those kids go through,” he said.
“I also reside in the same area and I can see the challenges affecting these children almost every day because some come from disadvantaged families.”
Biyaya said teachers identified the learners who desperately needed school shoes.
“It does not take being a woman to donate sanitary pads, everyone can.”
Since the programme started, he said they had been buying sanitary pads from their own pockets.
They donate to three schools a year and hope to eventually donate to all schools in the ward.
Lenah Mokone of Nwa Vangani Primary School said: “On behalf of the school, we are thankful for the donations.
“We have learners who come from poor backgrounds and mostly from informal settlement areas.
“The learners walk long distances to school while other learners’ parents are unemployed and can’t afford to buy school shoes and sanitary pads.”
She added that the sanitary pads came at the time of need for the girls and will help reduce the number of learners bunking classes because it’s that time of the month.
Somafco Secondary School only received sanitary pads.
Matshidiso Mongale Lecweleng, a teacher at Somafco, said the generous donations came at the perfect time as the school was running short of sanitary pads.
She encouraged those who want to donate sanitary pads to do so as it would help many young girls at the school.
Millicent Maluleke of PA Women’s League and former Somafco learner thanked everyone who made this programme a success.
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