Steward Bank partners foundation to support underprivileged girls

Business Reporter
STEWARD Bank has joined hands with Kunashe Foundation to enhance menstrual health by supplying re-usable sanitary wear to underprivileged girls.

According to a study by SNV Zimbabwe, about 72 percent of menstruating schoolgirls do not use sanitary pads as they cannot afford them.

This results in the unhygienic use of rags and cow dung, which negatively affects the girls’ health and also strips them of confidence and dignity.

Steward Bank head of corporate affairs, Nyasha Choga, said the bank has decided to chip in after realising that many girls in Zimbabwe were at risk of developing infections and suffering embarrassment of leakages and discomfort due to lack of clean sanitary wear.

“Ubuntu/Hunhu, as knitted into our model of business, calls for the expression of compassion, reciprocity and actions that bestow dignity and humanity to the community,” she said.

“We value the privilege of contributing towards the efforts to keep girls in school and equip women to make reusable pads for their families and communities as a means of income generation.”

Kunashe Foundation has a vision to provide information and access to sustainable sanitary wear, which Steward Bank has buttressed with support to the tune of $300 000 in May 2021. More than 1 000 girls are benefitting from the charitable grant.

Subsequently, the Foundation has distributed reusable pads, which can be used for up to three years, to 262 girls in Glenview, Glen Norah, Epworth, Hatcliffe and Highfields and at St David’s children’s home (Nyanga), Shalom Children’s home, Danai Children’s home, St Marcelin’s children’s home and at Chikurubi Maximum Prison, said the bank.

Kunashe Foundation said the strategic partnership with Steward Bank will go a long way in empowering women and girls across the country in helping them gain access to reproductive health rights and restoring human dignity and confidence.

Lack of access to sanitary wear generally forces many girls to miss out on important confidence-building experiences in the classroom or in after-school activities. Missing out on things like this can limit girls from reaching their full potential during puberty and beyond, said the bank.