PERIOD POVERTY IN AFRICA

PERIOD POVERTY IN AFRICA

Royal Wootton Bassett and District Rotary Club with Helen Chapman help Malmesbury (South Africa) schoolgirls so they don’t miss school days

When many underprivileged African girls are having their periods, they generally miss a week each month from school because they cannot afford sanitary pads. Resorting to newspapers and rags they stay in the confines of their home. This can lead to dangerous health risks and a lack of education.

This is very un-dignifying for them, and it affects their self-esteem and ability to function. It limits the potential of young girls and women and promotes gender inequality as a major contributor to Global Poverty.

Our Rotary Club using money from our fund raising events, are producing sanitary dressings, and pants which will be sent out to the Rotary Club of Durbanville who will distribute them to schoolgirls in the Malmesbury area, so they may lead a normal life and continue daily to receive an education at school.

Helen Chapman from The Fabric Shack in Malmesbury has been doing a fantastic job in working with our club helping us with this project. She obtained all the materials required for us to make the various articles, cutting every piece out herself and has now started sewing each piece together. Helen has managed to get a couple of volunteer ladies from Malmesbury and our Rotary club to assist her with the sewing. Once all the packs are made, we aim to make at least 50, and two pairs of pants will be included in each pack.

I cannot overstate the help Helen has given our club to get this project underway, spending so much of her free time to help these girls.  The completed packs will be transported to Africa and given to the young girls in need, so that they can then receive a full-time education.

Finally, if you wish to contribute to our cause any donations would be gratefully accepted or if you want to help in the production of these packs, please contact Helen at the Fabric Shack on 01666 826841 or president@rwbrotary.club

Linda Locke
President
Royal Wootton Bassett and District Rotary Club