The aim of the school sanitary-pad drive is to ensure access to a much-needed resource so girls can stay in school, and ensure the development and growth of young women from communities with dignity, and especially school going girls.
This, according to Atlantis athletics coach and community worker, Tashwell Adams, who said he came up with the idea of the initiative early one morning while reflecting on the matter, seeing it also as a way that men can become more involved in issues affecting women, such as gender-based violence and poverty. In this way they can show that not all men are abusers.
“My focus was to get as many men as possible involved,” he said, “and one of the first to volunteer was Councillor Allister Lightburn.”. Studies have shown that annually schoolgirls without access to feminine hygiene miss, on average, 50 schooldays due to menstrual-related challenges. These girls make use of unhygienic materials such as clothes and toilet paper as an alternative.
“Menstruation, in addition to lack of access to hygiene products, serves as a barrier to education for many girls,” Adams continued, “so I want to challenge not only our local government but also our businesses to make sanitary products available to our schools for free.”
Robinvale High School said in a letter to Adams: “This generous contribution enables learners to attend school regularly. They miss classes because they can’t afford basic sanitaryware.”
Adams and his team collected 1 600 packets of sanitary pads and distributed them between all the local schools.
