The challenge that the project addresses
It’s a key challenge facing many teenage female learners – being able to afford basic essential monthly necessities such as sanitary pads. Consequently, many resort to missing school on the day they have their period. Fear of humiliation, ridicule, and feeling inadequate keep them away from the education they so desperately need. In addition, a significant number of girls resort to unhygienic methods to manage their menstruation – typically using things like tissue papers, newspapers, socks, pieces of cloths/rags, etc. These desperate methods expose them to the risk of toxic shock and a whole host of infectious diseases. These unhygienic methods also precipitate negative emotional issues (e.g. anxiety, low self-esteem, poor self-image, etc.) leading to long-lasting psychological scars.
What is your project doing to respond to this challenge?
KeyCare, together with its committed representatives, have embarked on a journey to come up with innovative ways to assist school girls with FREE sanitary products, and FREE sanitary pads in particular (the most essential feminine hygiene product). Keycare is a non-profit company founded on the basis of empowering school girls around the Fezile Dabi District municipality with feminine hygiene products to overcome sanitary health challenges and other related infections, thereby boosting their self-confidence to never miss a day of school during their menstrual cycles, and never resorting to unhygienic methods.
Describe the project's impact
Since August 2018 KeyCare has collected over 3000 packs of sanitary packs to 71 school-going girls, who receive 2 sanitary packs per month. KeyCare also offers a Bootcamp event to participants in exchange for a donation of sanitary pads. KeyCare has partnered with Sasol, Virgin Active, Slater and Albany as corporate sponsors/partners for hosting of the Bootcamp event, soliciting of sanitary pads donations as well as donations of sanitary pads. The Department of Education in the Free State are also assisting by identifying deserving recipients. We have two celeb ambassadors: Mrs South Africa and a Mrs South Africa semi-finalist, who are bolstering the cause of collecting sanitary pads for schoolgirls.
In November 2019, we hosted our 3rd Bootcamp/Family Fun Day event and managed to collect close to 500 packs of sanitary pads. The event was well attended and a good spectacle for showcasing efforts put together to eradicate the plight faced by many impoverished school going girls. We were also fortunate enough to be graced with the presence of the former Mrs SA.
In addition, we have been distributing 273 packs of sanitary towels to 5 schools within the Fezile Dabi District on a monthly basis. To top it all we have received an extra R10,000 funding from Sasol, which will greatly assist us to increase the number of girls to be aided with packs of sanitary towels.
More on the event can be accessed on our social media pages as follows:
Facebook: @KeyCareNPC1
Twitter: @KeyCareNPC
Instagram:@KeyCareNPC