Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA) has donated 1 000 sanitary pads to leaners at Madhlelenyoni Secondary School in Ntabazinduna in Umguza district.
The donation is part of the 10 000 pads secured by ZINWA to assist rural girls in the ongoing fight against period poverty.
Speaking at the handover ceremony the ZINWA Catchment Manager, Engineer Hassan Tobve said the donation is part of the authority’s pursuit for good corporate citizenship.
“This event is part of the Corporate Social Responsibility activities which are deliberately tailored to ensure that the Authority brings a positive impact in society and within the communities it operates in, by not only providing water to communities but by also giving back to the very communities in which it operates. In doing so, ZINWA is appreciating the support that it always gets from these communities that also provide organisations with the relevant social
license to operate.
“Giving to the community is a very pertinent and relevant thing especially at a time where stakeholder needs, expectations continuously evolve and with stakeholders demanding greater recognition and involvement,” said Tobve Tobve went on and said, the ZINWA Corporate Social Responsibility Policy, put in place by the board, gives a clear layout and framework of the areas that the Authority can make interventions and bring out positive outcomes for both the Authority and its publics.
“Among these areas are health, education as well as water and sanitation. The policy also sets out a vigorous, transparent and rigorous criterion through which beneficiaries of ZINWA’s Corporate Social Responsibility are identified and chosen. It is through this painstaking process that the Authority, in collaboration with the office of the Provincial Education Director settled for this school as a beneficiary of these sanitary pads,” he said.
The donation comes at a time when there has been an increase of girls who prefer to miss schools due to lack of sanitary pads.
A 2022 survey done by Zimvac showed that 62 percent of young girls tend to miss out on school every month on account of lack of sanitary wear and the highest number of these come from low-income families which largely live in rural areas.
This period poverty not only affects the young girls’ education but their mental wellbeing as well since in some communities they get stigmatised. In some households, parents do not allow young girls to go out and play while on their periods, due to lack of sanitary wear.
Young girls also suffer the lack of menstrual hygiene friendly infrastructure such as ablution facilities, which some schools are working to address.
“These girls deserve our support and assistance as individuals and as organizations. They deserve the same opportunities and support as their male counterparts. We therefore urge fellow corporates to come on board and join the efforts to reduce and eventually eliminate period poverty,” he said.
SOURCE : NEWZIANA
