CPUT student's pad drive for high school girls
AFTER noticing girls in his high school who did not have access to sanitary pads during menstruation, Sibabalwe Nqamla, a BTech quantity surveying student at CPUT, started a sanitary pad drive to bring dignity to young girls.
“I come from a disadvantaged background and back at high school I would see how a girl gets embarrassed and emotional when they messed their pants and dresses. I have a sister and even though we struggled at home she was fortunate that my mother could afford sanitary pads. I wanted to help other girls but didn’t know how,” said Nqamla.
He said that last year he got together with his friends to start the initiative. They created awareness by talking about it but he felt that was not enough.
“I wanted to be practical so I used my pocket money to buy as many pads I could. I also alerted people about my initiative and people donated boxes of pads. People can inbox me and donate if they want to see Donate a Pad Project (DAPP) helping more girls.”
Nqamla collected around 100 packs of sanitary towels and with the assistance of CPUT’s student affairs department, handed six boxes to Masibambisane High School in Delft.
Receiving the packs, deputy principal of Masibambisane High School Nomfundo Mzazi said the school was grateful because they only had one pack left from a previous donation.
“A number of girls need to be assisted daily; the majority of them come from disadvantaged homes. We had a serious problem of girls missing school up until their cycle ends because back at home they don’t have pads and don’t want to mess the only uniform they have. We decided to give them more than one pad for them to be able to change even at home,” Mzazi said.