Teen girl donates sanitary pads
As a way of giving back to the community, 15-year-old Palesa Motsewetsho found it necessary to donate pads and stands to Thobega Junior Secondary School in Mmankgodi. Motsewetsho, who is currently running for Miss Teen Botswana, said her gesture is part of her ‘caring sisterhood’ initiative that aims to give dignity to the girl child.
Parliament in 2017 passed a motion for free sanitary pads in all government schools, but the implementation has not yet been done by the Ministry of Education and Skills Development since there is no such policy that binds it to do so.
Motsewetsho added she chose the initiative to take care of the girl child after realising that some of the girls in her home village come from families that do not afford to make such provisions.
“I aim to help the girl child during their menstrual cycle as it may start while she is in school. Because when it starts when someone is in school and does not have a pad, they are forced to go back home thereby missing classes that are critical for her. At times, a student fails to explain what she is going through to a teacher. Therefore, there is a need in schools for students to have an area where they can access pads when in school without having to go home. If the pad stand is by guidance and counselling room, then the girl child will be able to access it,” Motsewetsho said.
She said since the teachers do understand what the girl child is going through during her menstruational cycle, it is important to be given support when not well.
In addition, Motsewetsho pleaded with students to stop laughing at others when they had stained their uniforms. She said rather they should assist them with something to cover the stain before leaving for their homes.
She said there is a need for the girl child to stand with one another.
Meanwhile, Thobega Secondary School Student Representative Council president, Masedi Radipitse said the gesture by Motsewetsho is going to help them a lot.
“Our school has been having cases of students who were forced to go back home since they had no pads while some were even forced to miss exams due to lack of pads. Again, some were not comfortable coming to classes while on periods as they were not having enough pads,” Radipitse said.
“Emotionally, some students were not comfortable coming to school while on periods as some students were laughing at them when they had stained themselves so they got fear of being embarrassed.”
Assistant school head, Moalafi Mosemele said “the initiative will go a long way in assisting the school community since they have been having a problem of assisting students when they are in need of pads”.
“This will help even some of our students who are experiencing it for the first time as they had been forced to go back home to get assistance. Now our students will not miss classes when they are on their menstrual cycle. I also plead for boy child also to be taken into consideration on issues of empowerment as they are left behind. We should understand that the boy child is growing up to be the head of the family,” Mosemele added.
The donation follows a motion by former MP, Bogolo Kenewendo advocating for free pads to deal with disadvantaged caused to women and girls as they were forced to use unsanitary objects such as newspapers, old mattresses and rags with sand during their menstruation cycle.