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Mthabisi Tshuma
Bulawayo Bureau
FROM 2009 to 2012, Nomvelo Dube faced a gruelling daily reality – a five-kilometre walk from her home in Buvuma village to Buvuma High School in Gwanda district of Matabeleland South province.
This wasn’t merely a long walk; it was a journey steeped in profound shame due to period poverty, a stark reminder of the hardships she endured.
This is a woman now transforming her past suffering into a driving purpose. From those arduous walks to school, she has become the very champion she once needed.
Dube is now dedicated to ensuring no rural schoolgirl experiences the humiliation and discomfort she endured.
Through her organisation, the Sister Girl Foundation, she is distributing toiletry boxes, providing not only essential supplies, but also restoring dignity, confidence, and the opportunity to flourish.
As a young, orphaned woman, Dube’s life purpose is to inspire young people to achieve their full potential.
Established in 2018, the Sister Girl Foundation operates in Zimbabwe and South Africa, with the primary objective of donating toiletry boxes to rural schools.
These toiletry boxes contain sanitary pads, roll-on deodorant, toothpaste, and a toothbrush.
Schools that have benefitted include Buvuma High School, Tshitashawa High School in Tsholotsho district, Matabeleland North province, and Bovet Primary School in Alexandra, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Dube said that her inspiration to establish the foundation stemmed from her own upbringing.
“I know the pain of attending school without a sanitary pad.
“I know the pain of attending school without school shoes, despite my grandmother’s valiant efforts to alleviate our poverty at home.
“Sometimes, my grandmother would sell amacimbi to purchase sanitary pads for me, but more often she resorted to cotton wool (bless my grandmother).
“I recall one day staining my skirt during class, and the subsequent ridicule from my peers, which severely impacted my self-esteem,” said Dube.
She said that her organisation’s mission is to facilitate the empowerment of rural and township youth, particularly girls and women from impoverished, marginalised communities, in their struggle to overcome poverty, exclusion, and social injustices.
“The Sister Girl Foundation is the brainchild of a young, orphaned woman who grew up in a deeply rural area, where life was exceptionally challenging during her childhood. She lived in abject poverty.
“Now, she is dedicated to empowering at-risk and underprivileged girls and women with the skills, abilities, and self-worth necessary to make informed life decisions regarding education, career, family, adolescence, parenting, health, and relationships.
“She also aims to guide them away from the risk factors that threaten their transition into adulthood.
“The objective of the toiletry box project is to help underprivileged school teenagers regain their self-confidence and overcome low self-esteem at school. Many township and rural girls are unable to afford basic toiletries such as sanitary pads, toothpaste, soap, toothbrushes, and deodorant due to their poverty. This has resulted in many schoolgirls becoming withdrawn, subjected to bullying, and frequently missing school,” she said.
Dube stressed the importance of recognising the impact that the physical and emotional changes of puberty can have on girls’ self-esteem and self-image.
“Globally, eight out of ten girls are discouraged from participating in life activities when they are dissatisfied with their appearance. Sister Girl is embarking on this humbling journey to brighten the faces of many young girls in disadvantaged schools with toiletry boxes donated by caring individuals and other sponsors,” said Dube.
Online Reporter