Donate to worthwhile girls’ cause

TEENAGE girls living in poverty can lose up to a fifth of their high school careers through shame – when it’s that time of the month.

Between now and Sunday, though, you can make a very real difference when you go into your local Dis-Chem and donate sanitary towels as part of the Million Comforts campaign, which is being run in partnership with The Star, to ensure that no girl misses school this year because she’s having her period.

When you go into Dis-Chem you can either buy the in-house brand at under R10 or any of the sanitary towels from Always, Lil-lets or Stayfree, who will then match your donation.

This isn’t just one of the most worthwhile acts of charity around, it’s also one of the most controlled: every pack that is donated is audited and stored at the local branch. The donations are then collected by Caring4Girls once or twice a week as the need determines, and then held in the company’s regional warehouses across the country.

All pads stay in the region in which they were donated and are then taken to schools selected by Caring4Girls.

There are participating schools in all nine provinces, with an extra 20 schools added this year.

Dis-Chem’s Penny Stein explains that the school principal and teachers know who is on the project to ensure there is no absenteeism blamed on menstruation.

“We don’t just give them to you; you get a lecture on feminine hygiene, there’s a register, and in four months’ time Caring4Girls goes back to the school for a follow-up visit.”

The Million Comforts campaign runs in all Dis-Chem stores until Sunday. Look out for the purple branded bin in which to place the pads.