Chronicle Editor
Sione Amidu, Gwanda Correspondent
A NUMBER of girl learners at Khalanyoni High School in Mangwe district had the burden of missing school each time they had their menstrual cycle lifted when the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) chipped in with a donation of sanitary pads.
The initiative is part of Zinwa’s quest to help girl learners in the rural schools with the menstrual comfort they need by donating 10 000 sanitary pad packs across the county.
Khalanyoni High School has an enrolment of 443 pupils, 237 girls and 210 boys. Lindokuhle Mabuza, a pupil at the school said the donation brought her menstrual hygiene challenges to an end.
“I am happy that I will no longer worry about my menstrual cycle needs any more. I have been losing confidence in class when I started menstruating because I could not afford to buy pads. I am grateful that Zinwa took care of our daily welfare from the provision of water and now sanitary wear,” she said.
Matabeleland South Zinwa provincial head and catchment manager, Engineer Albert Manyika said Zinwa was pleased to be giving back to the community and they were not going to stop their initiatives until all the marginalised communities benefit.
“This is part of our corporate social responsibility activities which are deliberately tailored to ensure that the authority brings a positive impact to the communities we operate in. Our donation is driven by the 2022 survey in which 62 percent of young girls tend to miss school, every month due to financial problems and students from the rural folk are the most affected,” Eng Manyika said.
He also challenged the girl child to aim higher and fight stigma and discrimination by using education as a weapon out of poverty.
Speaking on behalf of the Matabeleland South Provincial Education Director, the Deputy Director for Secondary and Non-Formal Education in the province, Mr Mathomula Nare said the education sector needed stakeholder engagement to attest to their goal.
“We salute Zinwa for realising the importance of sanitary wear for the girls. We are calling for other stakeholders to follow suit and ensure that the students are assisted especially in marginalised areas,” Mr Nare said.
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