One of our main focal points in the community is the health and wellbeing of young women. During last year we started a project called “Girls2Greatness.”
This project was launched with a workshop at Kleinmond Primary where girl learners from Grade 2 up to Grade 7 attended. The focus of this first workshop was menstrual wellbeing.
A short informal discussion was held on topics such as:
- Do you attend school during your menstrual cycle?
- Do you have access to adequate sanitary products?
- Are the toilet facilities at your school adequate?
After completing the workshop, each girl was given a goodie bag containing sanitary products and some sweet things. These items were donated by the Rooiels community. A request for sanitary towels to be donated was put to the community on Mandela Day. We asked for a total of sixty-seven, in keeping with the theme of 67 hours of Mandela Day, and we were overwhelmed by the response.
Following the workshop, each learner was given a questionnaire to complete with the assistance of their respective teachers. A detailed report was then generated, highlighting areas of concern and areas where assistance could be given to the learners.
We acknowledge the struggle and journey of young girls who must navigate their menstrual health under difficult conditions.
The Girls2Greatness project will hopefully be an ongoing initiative whereby we can continue to support our young female learners. This project also hopes to include young male learners as well in future, educating them in these matters and creating a better understanding of this issue.
Education on menstrual wellbeing is key to creating a new paradigm surrounding menstrual health and all parties need to be involved to be successful.
