By Kefiloe Kajane
Vodacom Lesotho Foundation this week delivered 1000 reusable menstrual towels to schoolgirls in the Mafeteng and Quthing districts in celebration of Day of the Girl Child.
According to a statement by the company, the M250,000 worth of towels were delivered under the foundation’s Dignity campaign, an initiative whose objective is to provide girls with reusable, washable, modern, and eco-friendly sanitary towels with a lifespan of up to five years.
The statement indicated that the towels are a sustainable resource, which allows girls to wash and reuse them, rather than having to buy disposable sanitary towels every month. In addition, they are inexpensive and environmentally friendly, with a social benefit that stands to greatly mitigate the disadvantages many disempowered girls endure during their process of maturing.
Commenting on the initiative executive head of legal, Regulatory and external affairs, Tṧepo Ntaopane said through the campaign, Vodacom Lesotho Foundation aims to ensure that girls have access to safe and hygienic-sanitary products, as well as raise awareness around women’s health.
“We look to help girls reclaim the dignity that poverty denies them; enable them to make a lasting and positive impact on the communities they live in and society as a whole. We believe that when girls and women have health, education, and opportunity, communities and our world are stronger,” he said.
The statement further indicated that the initiative is cross-cutting and ensures dignity and health of adolescents while ensuring that they are kept in schools.
It further said that the initiative is also in line with Vodacom Lesotho Foundation’s mandate to invest and support initiatives that make up its key focus areas.
“We support and are fully committed to driving sustainable initiatives which can help alleviate some of Lesotho’s most pressing social challenges. We support this through our focused social investment activities aimed at improving access to education, address community health challenges, combat gender-based violence, and advance economic empowerment. We achieve this through partnerships with reputable organizations, government, industry leaders, and other technology partners,” the statement read.
In the Mafeteng district, the towels were handed over to Bereng, Matsepe, Hope, Mafeteng, St. John’s, and Masentle high school girls, while the Quthing beneficiary schools are Makhaola, Hermitage, Eagles Peak Qacha’s nek and Mohlapiso high schools.
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