The Sunday News
Robin Muchetu, Senior Reporter
BEYOND studying and playing catch-up with the syllabus that has been disturbed by long periods of Covid-19 induced national lockdowns ahead of her examinations, Sibonginkosi Moyo — an upper six pupil at Dominican Convent High School in Bulawayo is thinking philanthropy.
She is moved by girl child hygiene during their menstrual cycle and has decided to take it upon herself to end period poverty for her companions at Silas Hope Village in Esiphikeni, Bubi, by providing sanitary wear to girls.
Consistent access to safe sanitary wear has been a challenge for many girls living in rural communities and this has pushed several out of school as they cannot be provided for adequately while they are menstruating.
Assisted by her friends and family, Sibonginkosi took her campaign to social media where she sought donations of sanitary pads for the girls and got an overwhelming response from the people. A total of 75 girls received sanitary wear that will last for close to one year, which will mean these girls will have no reason to be away from school when they are menstruating until the year ends.
Sibonginkosi said she was pushed to assist her peers after hearing tear jerking stories of how rural girls go through their menstruation.
“I got touched after hearing that girls in some rural areas use cow dung and old pieces of blankets in place of sanitary pads when they are menstruating thereby missing school for that time. So, I found it disturbing as every child deserves to lead a normal life despite their circumstances. It also was a gesture in time as we are just from celebrating women’s month. I used the whole of March 2021 to collect menstrual cups, sanitary pads and reusable pads. I tried to the best of my ability to donate the different varieties available for women and girls to where they best fit,” she said.
Early in the week, she donated menstrual cups to Sandra Jones Centre on the outskirts of the Bulawayo Central Business District.
“I took menstrual cups and reusable pads to Sandra Jones Centre on the outskirts of Bulawayo CBD where I knew that the girls will have the soap and water to wash their pads, while I took the disposable pads to the rural community where I know that they can easily dispose them in Blair toilets,” she added.
Sibonginkosi said understanding the value of education also pushed her to donate sanitaryware because school children should not have to miss days of schooling each month because they are menstruating.
“By the time they complete their high school education, they will have missed a year of classes because they could not get pads to use. We want to ensure that more females will be in leadership tomorrow but that is possible if they attend school without disruptions. They deserve to be awarded top scholarships and again they can show that they deserve these scholarships only if they are kept in school,” she said.
The young learner encouraged the young girls at Silas Hope Village to avoid early sexual engagements as they lead to several scenarios such as unwanted pregnancies, HIV/Aids and cervical cancer to name but just a few saying they need to focus on education and do that when the right time comes.
Councillor for Ward 14 in Esiphikeni, Clr Cookie Moyo said teenage pregnancy had affected the community.
“Teenage pregnancies are high in this area as we are witnessing several school dropouts particularly during this period of Covid-19. Many children fell pregnant in various schools and some have babies now. The reason that has caused this is because children were idle during the lockdown period. Yes, they were occupied with household chores but the period they spent away from school was just too long and children ended up engaging in sexual activities which led to these pregnancies,” she lamented.
Clr Moyo said the school plays a pivotal role in also keeping students in line.
“Parents are there to discipline children but the school also plays a major role in disciplining them when they are away from home, so their absence from school has led to some of these challenges we are facing now. Organisations have been frequenting our area teaching the children about behaviour change and how to keep safe from early sexual encounters but the past year they couldn’t come because of travelling restrictions owing to Covid-19 and unfortunately some of our children have fallen by the way side and got pregnant,” she said.
She encouraged the girls to stay in school and develop their careers, reminding them of the sacrifice of their parents to send them to school.
“We are grateful that we have a young lady like Sibonginkosi who has started this campaign in our village.
Programmes for the youth go well when spearheaded by the youth themselves as they understand each other more,” she said.
Reports say over 1 000 girls got into child marriages in Zimbabwe and 5 000 cases of teenage pregnancies were recorded between January and February 2021. This indicates that 5 000 pupils risk losing out on education if they do not get readmitted after giving birth.
Village head for the area Mr Christopher Mathe was grateful for the gesture saying sanitary wear and education on menstrual hygiene was important for the girls to learn.
“We need to support these children who see the plight of other children their age. It is pleasing to note that she has them at heart. We are grateful for the sanitary wear that has been availed to the girls, it is not something that we were expecting,” he said.
Mrs Gremma Moyo, mother to Sibongikosi said she was optimistic that the girls would treasure their purity and make good use of the gifts they had received.
“You girls must preserve yourselves. It is something that is easy to do. Now that you have sanitary wear, please use it sparingly; do not be found selling the pads because you have enough for the year. Use and dispose them well in the Blair toilets,” she said.
Mrs Moyo shared her heartrending story of losing both parents at an early age and being moved from one family to another with her siblings and her failure to get sanitary wear.
“I am an orphan just like some of you girls here in the village, I understand the struggles of growing up without parents and failing to get pads when you are menstruating. I encourage you to ensure you complete school and be better members of the community who will also aid other girls,” she said.
Sibonginkosi also brought food that was shared by the girls as they chatted about menstrual health and hygiene.
“Some girls are losing their virginity to boys and men who entice them with food, so we have brought food and drinks that you will share so that you are not persuaded into sex because there is food and drinks,” said Mrs Moyo.
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