Helping the girl child

Shona NgavaThe menstruation cycle can be very daunting for many school going girls. There are a lot of school going girls who come from poor family backgrounds and thus cannot afford to buy sanitary pads to help them get through their menstruation cycle.For many of the girls who cannot get access to sanitary pads, they use mattress stuffing, newspapers and cloths when menstruating due to the fact that they could not afford disposable sanitary pads from the shopsLeft with no choice some girls rather choose to stay out of school because they fear being picked on, discriminated and bullied because of the embarrassment of not having sanitary pads when they are menstruating.Sister NamibiaWomen’s rights organisation, Sister Namibia say there are a lot implications brought when girls do not have access to sanitary pads when they are menstruating. This motivated the organisation to start an initiative to donate sanitary to girls in rural areas all over Namibia. Through their initiative started in 2014, My SisterPads, Sister Namibia have provided girls with safe and reusable sanitary pads. The sanitary pads were introduced by Sister Namibia as a means to improve the welfare and dignity of rural girls by enabling them mobility, access to education and an opportunity to excel, without having their menstruation limiting them.According to Elsarien Katiti, media officer at Sister Namibia, the sanitary pads they provide have impacted the lives of the girls in a positive manner and they are able to carry on with their lives without any hassles. “We are eliminating the barriers to attend school, girls are empowered and given an opportunity at excelling and completing their education. Sister Namibia believes that every girl deserves education and dignity. No girl should have to stay home from school because she can’t afford pads,” she says.She says the sanitary pads provided to girls give them the chance to excel in their communities and therefore empowering them to improve their lives. “We believe that the SisterPADS offer girls opportunity, allowing her to become an agent of change in her own life. By eliminating this barrier to attending school, girls are empowered and have the ability to excel and complete their education,” says Katiti.Men need to be involvedAnother young man who donates sanitary pads to girls is Peter Hatupopi through his My Sister’s Pads project. He believes that man normally shy away from the topic of menstruation because they are raised to believe it is a taboo to talk about it and how it affects women. He says he decided to donate sanitary pads to young girls in order to prevent them from dropping out of school. “We all have a role to play in society as men and we need to protect and nurture our women. We just need to understand the ladies situation and assist where we can and that is why I started donating pads because I wanted to help girls in rural areas,” he shares.He has donated over 2400 pads to 16 schools in Namibia through the Ministry of Education’s sanitary pads project since the start of the year. “Many schools girls are being bullied and teased because they cannot afford some of these sanitary pads in shops the aim to make sure that we empower them and give them the help they deserve,” he says.VictimisationPatience Kavarii, a grade 11 pupil from Eldorado Secondary School says girls are usually shy about speaking out about menstruation because they are being victimised and would rather hide the fact that they do not have sanitary pads so that they are not embarrassed. “I know other girls who do not have access to pads and they stay away from school up to seven days because they are too afraid and shy about not having pads. Organisations that donate pads are really making a difference in the lives of many girls,” she shares.Sonia Namadiko started a non-governmental charity organisation in 2016 called Powerpad girls. The organisation raises funds to donate towards other organisation that give sanitary pads to girls through monthly events they host. Besides raising funds and donating sanitary pads the organisation also provides sexual reproduction health towards to girls around Namibia. “We raise funds through our quiz night and speed dating events and we give the funds we raise to Sisterpads Namibia. We also create awareness around the sexual reproduction of girls but that is not entirely limited to girls,” she says. She revealed that they will be travelling to Tsumkwe and Grootfontein in November to give sanitary pads to girls in that area.Assistance is neededEarlier this year, the Minister of Education, Arts and Culture, Katrina Hanse-Himarwa called on more people to donate to organisations that give sanitary pads because they play an important role in the girl-child’s education. The Ministry of Education gives sanitary pads to learners at different schools across the country thorugh the Forum for African Women Educationalists Namibia (Fawena). “All the other Namibians that may be in a position to help should join us through FAWENA and the education ministry to come on board so as to ensure the sustenance of the sanitary pads project that we are engaged in,” said Hanse-HimarwaShe said that her ministry has dedicated itself to securing funds to get sanitary pads for girls who need them. “My ministry and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare have dedicated and committed ourselves to take up the challenge of procuring, providing and soliciting funds to make sanitary pads available around the country for the marginalised and disadvantaged girls of Namibia,” she shares.Fact box:· My Sister Namibia offers sanitary pads to girls all over Namibia· Powerpad girls is another organisation which offers pads and sexual reproduction health training to girls across Namibia· The Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture provides sanitary pads to schools girls around Namibia through Fawena· My Sisters Pads has donated over 2400 pads to 16 schools across Namibia· Sister Namibia provides reusable and safe sanitary pads to girls in rural areas in Namibia· According to Sister Namibia one in ten African girls misses three to five days of school per month due to lack of sanitary materials. This amounts to a total loss of 15-25% of an academic year.·

Helping the girl child

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-04

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Helping the girl child

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-04

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