NGO embarks on female health education project

A NON-GOVERNMENTAL Organisation, Lupane Women’s Development Trust, has embarked on a project to distribute sanitary wear to promote menstrual hygiene among young girls and facilitate better success in education.

The organisation was initiated by 14 basket weavers in Lupane in 1997.

The manager of the organisation, Mrs Hildegard Sihwa Mufukare said the main objective of the organisation was in training, marketing and information women.

“In the month of May we are focusing on menstruation awareness and have trained almost 80 girls on Reusable Menstrual Pads (Rumps) and also giving them sexual reproductive health education,” she said.

“Our aim is to demystify menstruation among the male gender and also equip girls with life skills. The girls are taught skills in crafts and also agriculture from an early age.

“We also focus on girls’ health and assist in ensuring that girls remain in school throughout even during their menstruation by providing hygienic and as a means of empowering affordable sanitary ware.”

Mrs Sihwa Mufukare said membership to the organisation was also open to schools.

“We believe that change should be introduced at formative stages so from ECD we train girls to have dreams and believe in themselves. We also train school drop-outs to ensure they are kept occupied and we build their confidence through life skills.”

She said at the beginning of the year they started working with two groups of young people, one comprising of female vendors who we have given eggs and vegetables to sell while another group reared chickens and was also trained in skills to process chicken meat and sell chicken products.