Imbumba Foundation celebrates 10 years

Members of the Imbumba Foundation welcomed a few select guests to their 10th anniversary and celebration at the Nelson Mandela Foundation in Houghton Estate.

The Sandton-based organisation tackles a serious social issue that many did not know existed – the presence of period poverty. Many women and young girls have no access to or the means to obtain sanitary pads during their menstruation.

Imbumba Foundation educated individuals, institutions and organisations about this predicament faced by many. The foundation also has two campaigns aimed at eradicating the issue – Trek4Mandela and Caring4Girls. Both campaigns are aimed at collecting and donating sanitary pads to schools in rural areas. Trek4Mandela does this while honouring the life of the late Nelson Mandela by organising annual expeditions with guests to climb Mount Kilimanjaro.

The celebration on April 8 had prominent figures ranging from the former public protector Thuli Madonsela to one of the executive representatives of West Pack Ricardo Castanho.

Not only did the anniversary honour the entities that helped it grow over the past decade but it also celebrated those who lost their lives.

Founder and CEO of the foundation, Richard Mabaso, was pleased to see familiar faces who helped his foundation grow into a tree bearing fruit during the big event for the foundation.

“It has been a long journey and what makes it all worth it is [that] we are doing it for the young girls. Our goal for this year is to elevate ourselves as a foundation, take the sanitary pads listing to another level and, ultimately, we want to make sure that there’s not a single girl missing school due to the lack of sanitary pads. We are looking forward to another 10 years,” concluded Mabaso.