By Abel Mavura,
Cape Town-based Zimbabwean writer, Jurgen Namupira, launches a campaign to end period poverty.
This year, Jurgen has chosen to use his birthday to help underprivileged girls, who struggle on their menstrual cycles without sanitary pads.
In celebration of his birthday, Jurgen is collecting sanitary pads from family and friends to distribute on 2 May 2021. He looks forward to distribute an estimate of 100 packets on the day to help girls in need.
The campaign started with an online petition pushing for the free distribution of sanitary pads. Jurgen says, “if we can have free condoms, what stops us from giving our girls free sanitary pads?”
The whole idea was conceived after having realized that many girls miss school because they cannot afford sanitary pads. Hence the theme of his campaign, “Donate a pad, keep a girl in school.” According to a research undertaken by Stellenbosch University in South Africa, about 30% of South African girls miss school during menstruation because they cannot afford sanitary pads. Paul Herman also wrote that, according to past studies, these girls miss at least 50 days of school because of this predicament.
Plans are underway to expand the project beyond his birthday. If all goes well Jurgen looks forward to monthly distributions to different unaffording communitees. Currently, he is in contact with officials from Cape Town Social Development for recommendations on where to distribute.
