Umodzi donates sewing machines at Likulu Primary School to make reusable sanitary pads
Umodzi Youth Organization (UYO) has donated five sewing machines for training to 10 women in sewing sanitary pads that would help reduce girls’ absenteeism during menstrual cycles.
Presenting the donation to Likulu Primary School on Wednesday, UYO Project Manager, Memory Pondeponde, said the organization learnt about the challenges facing girls during their menstrual cycle hence decided to partner with the France-based institution L’Oréal Fund for Women to provide such resources as sewing machines and materials for the production of sanitary pads to be freely distributed to those girls at menstruating age.
“We thought of empowering women to support girls at the school by providing member of the mothers’ group with sewing skills so they can produce sanitary pads for the girls at this school.
“We believe with these skills women will be able to support their families especially girls in school,’’ explained Pondeponde.
She pointed out that the donation would be part of the menstrual hygiene project which is designed to construct blocks of the washrooms to reduce school girls’ absenteeism.
Lack of rooms where they could change pads during menstrual cycle has been one of those challenges leading to poor performance and school dropouts.
She further added that the organization is there to help women to be entrepreneurs by imparting them with different skills for them to support themselves.
Upon receipt of the donation the Head teacher at the school, Senzeni Zaipazatha, praised UYO and its partner L’Oréal Fund for Women for the generous donation to the school.
“I am failing to express my happiness and gratitude for this kind support. We never expected to have received 5 sewing machines and sewing materials at this school.
“This development is a dream come true. As was the case before this donation, our school girls will no longer be missing classes during their menstrual cycle, and thus this will help improve their school performance” explained Zaipazatha.
Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Rose Matinga expressed her gratitude to the organization saying they would be economically stable as they could not be depending on their husbands.
She said she was pleased to be part of the training which she believed would change her economic life saying:
“The sewing skills acquired from the training, will help me in sewing my own clothes, my family and some for sale, which I believe will improve my household income”.
“The project empowers single women and guardians who look after vulnerable children economically to sustain themselves,” said Matinga.
UYO will be implementing a one-year project called “Promoting Girls in Education”, with financial support from the Paris-based institution L’Oréal Fund for Women as one way of empowering women economically and helping them to be self-reliant.
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