Local school opens sanitary pad booth
The booth will help prevent school girls from bunking classes or when it is that time of the month and help all learners to come to school every day.
A local organisation that helps the community with social issues and cares for children after school donated boxes of sanitary packs to learners at Morakoma Primary School in Mamelodi West on Friday.
Vhathu Phanda Community Forum made the generous donation through help from corporate sponsorship.
Linkie Matlala from Vhathu Phanda said the sanitary pads “we received from the sponsors will go to the school to help start a sanitary pad and toiletry booth for the school”.
Matlala said the booth will help prevent school girls from bunking classes when it is that time of the month, so ensuring all learners come to school every day.
“The forum had been supplying local primary schools as part of the organisation’s sanitary pads drive,” said Matlala.
She said there was an incident in the community where a learner was forced to miss classes because her parents had no money to buy sanitary pads.
The main aim of the forum is to pursue the Menstrual Hygiene programme to assist individuals overcome the challenges associated with their menstrual cycle and raise the public awareness of the significance of menstrual health and the appropriate use of menstrual products.
School principal, Sophy Koekemoer, said, “No schoolgirl or young woman should bunk classes because they can’t afford sanitary pads when we can assist them”.
“The school has learners from different backgrounds, and we try to intervene and help out, but it is not enough.
“The donations came at the right time because we have learners who have already started having periods,” said Koekemoer.
The schools don’t want to see schoolgirls skipping classes because they don’t have sanitary pads.
Representatives of the school expressed their gratitude. They said the generous donation will boost the girls’ confidence so they can look forward to coming to school every day, even if it is that time of the month.
Matlala pleaded with local businessmen to come on board with donations and make the booth a success, as it will also need toiletry products.
For more information, contact Vhathu Phanda Forum on 062 436 6445.
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