Sanitary pads keep girls in school
Education minister Katrina Hanse-Himarwa says there is no need why the girl child in modern-day Namibia must still be faced with the challenges of the past.
The minister highlighted that there are direct and indirect barriers that combine to impact negatively on the education of a child. The minister made these remarks at a handover ceremony of sanitary pads on behalf of the Forum for African Women Educationalists in Namibia (Fawena) to a group of schoolgirls in Windhoek as the world marked International Day of the Girl. According to the minister, the root causes of these barriers can generally be attributed to low-income earnings at the household level and to the budget constraints within which the government has to operate.
“While boys too face many challenges, one challenge that uniquely occurs to girls is when they reach puberty. It is a sad reality that girls from low-income families across the country are struggling to afford sanitary protection. Although not widely reported, this problem can impact negatively on a girl's confidence and concentration levels at school,” she said. The minister stated that in some extreme cases girls are forces to skip school or to drop out altogether in order to avoid the shame and ridiculing by peers.
“I have heard of cases in which girls are forced to use cut-outs from mattresses, newspapers and so forth.” The sanitary pad donation was made possible by a donation of N$50 000 from Morcar Fishing and N$250 000 from the education ministry.
“Certainly, through this donation, Fawena will continue to increase access, improve retention and enhance the quality of education for girls and women in Namibia as per their mandate,” she said. The Forum for African Women Educationalists is a non-governmental organisation founded in 1992 and is currently operating in 34 African Countries. FAWE Namibia's (Fawena) national chapter opened its doors in 1999 with the support of education ministry. Fawena's goal is to increase access, improve retention and enhance the quality education for girls and women in Namibia.
JEMIMA BEUKES
The minister highlighted that there are direct and indirect barriers that combine to impact negatively on the education of a child. The minister made these remarks at a handover ceremony of sanitary pads on behalf of the Forum for African Women Educationalists in Namibia (Fawena) to a group of schoolgirls in Windhoek as the world marked International Day of the Girl. According to the minister, the root causes of these barriers can generally be attributed to low-income earnings at the household level and to the budget constraints within which the government has to operate.
“While boys too face many challenges, one challenge that uniquely occurs to girls is when they reach puberty. It is a sad reality that girls from low-income families across the country are struggling to afford sanitary protection. Although not widely reported, this problem can impact negatively on a girl's confidence and concentration levels at school,” she said. The minister stated that in some extreme cases girls are forces to skip school or to drop out altogether in order to avoid the shame and ridiculing by peers.
“I have heard of cases in which girls are forced to use cut-outs from mattresses, newspapers and so forth.” The sanitary pad donation was made possible by a donation of N$50 000 from Morcar Fishing and N$250 000 from the education ministry.
“Certainly, through this donation, Fawena will continue to increase access, improve retention and enhance the quality of education for girls and women in Namibia as per their mandate,” she said. The Forum for African Women Educationalists is a non-governmental organisation founded in 1992 and is currently operating in 34 African Countries. FAWE Namibia's (Fawena) national chapter opened its doors in 1999 with the support of education ministry. Fawena's goal is to increase access, improve retention and enhance the quality education for girls and women in Namibia.
JEMIMA BEUKES
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