Pretoria – In a bid to restore dignity to girls, the Ekurhuleni Metro has handed over sanitary towels to 295 girls from Daragan Secondary School, in Marangu, the home of Kilimanjaro Mountain.
The sanitary towels were handed over during the activation of the Caring4Girls leg of the Trek4Mandela campaign, an initiative of Imbumba Foundation which seeks to raise funds for sanitary towels for 270 000 South African girls.
The programmes focus on creating awareness on puberty and adolescence and in the process demystifies all menstrual related myths.
Speaking at the hand over ceremony on Wednesday, the Member of Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture, Dorah Mlambo, emphasised the importance for the metro to carry on with the vision of Nelson Mandela of giving to those who are less fortunate.
"We are here to promote the spirit of humanity which characterised Madiba. Extending the spirit of Mandela Month beyond the borders of South Africa and in one of the countries that played a part in the liberation struggle of South Africa, makes this programme even more special," said Mlambo.
Mlambo highlighted that the city's programme to empower needy girls in the region is gaining momentum and a number of sanitary towels will be distributed to local scholars before the end of July.
"We are committed to the cause and as a founding member of trekking for Mandela, we would like to encourage private companies to come on board and do the right thing. Our girls need us."
Mlambo also encouraged the girls never to lose hope and remember that they hold their future in their hands.
The MMC is part of the Trek4Mandela team led by the Mandela Foundation CEO Sello Hatang. CEOs from various companies and the country's celebrities will attempt to summit the mountain which is 5 895m above sea level, in a fundraising campaign for the sanitary towels.
The South African team is expected to summit the mountain on Mandela Day, 18 July.
Imbumba Foundation's Richard Mabaso said the target of the campaign is to reach two million girls by 2020. – SAnews.gov.za
