“There is a lack of understanding, empathy and support for young women going through puberty in school environments that are not equipped to provide adequately for their dignity”
MORE than 150 pupils at Moshaweng Secondary School in Loopeng, Northern Cape, will have a greater chance of staying in school to reach their full potential thanks to the efforts of legal technology company, LexisNexis South Africa, in partnership with the Imbumba Foundation.
The Imbumba Foundation, through its Caring4Girls programme, is on a quest to provide menstrual hygiene support and education to two million disadvantaged South African girls by 2020. It aims to help eradicate absenteeism among young girls, who often skip school when they do not have access to basic sanitary protection during their menstrual cycles.
Supporting the organisation on this quest are a number of leading corporates including LexisNexis.
On Friday, representatives from LexisNexis and the Imbumba Foundation visited Moshaweng Secondary School to hand over a one-year supply of sanitary towels for each girl in the school.
LexisNexis Bloemfontein branch manager George Tsikkos said: “There is a lack of understanding, empathy and support for young women going through puberty in school environments that are not equipped to provide adequately for their dignity. There are many challenges that young South African women must overcome daily – and for many pupils in impoverished communities basic necessities are often overlooked to put food on the table.”
He said that the LexisNexis and Imbumba partnership aligned with the company’s overall commitment to upholding social justice and advancing the rule of law.
“Education is a fundamental need that cannot be overlooked in society and it is our hope that as a socially conscious business, we have contributed towards raising awareness to such intricate matters that affect society and we hope that our contribution is a start to transforming lives for the better,” he said.
The school’s principal, Tshepho Tlomatsana, said they were humbled by the opportunity because they wanted to ensure that their girls had 100% attendance.
“Our pupils are from very poor economic backgrounds. Our girls in this school lose a lot of contact time because they are from poor backgrounds. I want to thank LexisNexis for choosing us because we have potential at this school. Our results show that if we get support from all stakeholders, we will make it,” she said.
