Cape Town - To tackle the plight of impoverished girls who often miss school during their menstrual cycles due to the lack of sanitary pads, the Dis-Chem Foundation is running its Million Comforts campaign in collaboration with the Imbumba Foundations Caring4Girls project for the seventh year.
According to research conducted by the foundation, teenage girls between the ages of 12 and 18 living in poverty in urban and rural areas can lose up to a fifth of their high school education because they do not have access to feminine hygiene products.
The Million Comforts initiative seeks to empower schoolgirls and give them the opportunity to continue their education without the burden of hygiene risks, discomfort, embarrassment, or the loss of dignity.
Last year just under 9 million sanitary pads were amassed and distributed to impoverished communities.
This meant that over 220 000 girls did not miss a day of school because of Dis-Chem shoppers and major feminine hygiene brands Lil-Lets, Always, Kotex, Libresse, Comfitex and Stayfree, who again have committed to matching the number of sanitary pads collected.
This year until July 30, the Dis-Chem Foundation aims to reach and exceed its goal of 10 million pads.
“Year on year we are more astounded by the generosity of the Dis-Chem community who purchase and donate, as well as by the continued support of major feminine hygiene brands,” said Sherry Saltzman of the Dis-Chem Foundation.
“The onset of the Covid-19 crisis last year exacerbated so many socio-economic issues. If anything, the need for a regular supply of feminine hygiene products is greater. We want to ensure that young women in schools nationally are able to continue with their schooling and we value any contribution, from corporate challenges to staff contributions, or an in-store product donation from our shoppers.”
The Imbumba Foundation started in 2010 with the goal of doing something concrete to address this issue.
“It’s not only a female issue. It is a societal issue that we need to get involved in and we are committed to assisting schoolgirls get a proper, and uninterrupted, education. Menstruation is not something that should be standing in the way of our younger generations’ futures,” said Richard Mabaso, founder of the Imbumba Foundation.
The Dis-Chem Foundation has placed branded drop-off bins in more than 200 Dis-Chem and The Local Choice Pharmacies’ countrywide.
Shoppers can get involved by purchasing a pack of sanitary towels from the participating brands and placing it in the Million Comforts bin available in-store, or they can purchase online and via the Dis-Chem app.
This year the foundation has also launched a corporate challenge whereby companies can register on the Dis-Chem website and purchase pads or donate to the initiative.
Organisations are also encouraged to get their employees involved.
“For the past four years, Discovery Vitality has gotten involved with the Million Comfort campaign by collecting pads via its client base and then donating them to us,” said Saltzman.
Independent Media will be driving awareness of the campaign through their iconic stable of daily and weekend newspaper titles across the country, as well as their growing digital and social media platforms. As a media group, Independent Media is committed to the continuing education of South African school children.
Cape Times