15 June 2015
The City of Cape Town’s Health
Directorate together with NGOs and academic partners are on the drive to help
teenagers on sexual health.
The project’s primary focus
will be the distribution of reusable sanitary pads by the NGOs to address
school absenteeism and dropout rates among female learners who are not equipped
to manage their menstrual cycles.
City’s Mayoral Committee
Member for Health, Councillor Siyabulela Mamkeli said girls and boys will be
educated about puberty in separate workshops, and the girls will be given a
sanitary pack of washable and reusable cloth sanitary pads to help them manage
their periods so they do not have to miss school.
The pilot project starts just
after Youth Day on 16 June and will target Grade 8 learners at four schools in
Mfuleni and Strand and Grade 7 learners at a school in Strand
Mamkeli added it is
unthinkable that children are being denied an education because they do not
share the resources on how to deal with menstruation.
“There is still too much stigma attached to the
issue as it is because like sex education there are some topics that are still
taboo in many our communities. It’s time for change and I’m excited about this
project because I think it could have a positive on the lives of many
people.” Mamkeli said.
No comments:
Post a Comment