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Sifelani Tsiko Agric, Environment & Innovations Editor

Seed processor, Seed Co, has donated soap and sanitary pads to vulnerable young rural girls in Goromonzi and Makoni districts as part of its corporate social responsibility policy.

The company’s Non-executive Director, Ms Remina Chitengu handed over the items recently to the Unlimited Hope Alliance, a local NGO that works with children and young women in Makoni and Goromonzi districts.

“This donation is intended for young girls in rural areas that are vulnerable and with no access to sanitary wear,” said Ms Chitengu.

“Our aim is to ensure communities, farmers, and the girl child are protected. Access to sanitary wear is every child’s right and Seed Co is playing its part to ensure communities and the girl child is protected.”

Speaking at the same event, Unlimited Hope Alliance Chairperson, Ms Mary Chigumira said:

“We are integrating WASH and menstrual health hygiene for disadvantaged girls from disadvantaged families. Our fight is to keep these girls in schools so that no girl child is disadvantaged.”

Seed Co has over the years partnered with various educational and social institutions as part of its corporate social responsibility.

Millions of Zimbabwean girls endure period poverty or the struggle many women and girls face in affording sanitary materials and information.

This makes the provision of appropriate sanitary and hygiene materials critical.

Due to the high cost of sanitary pads in the country, they have become out of reach of several underprivileged girls especially in the rural areas where there are reports that they end up using unorthodox means to manage their menstrual cycles.

Many girls are not able to access menstrual hygiene products with Unicef statistics indicating that 70 percent of rural schools in Zimbabwe have neither water nor soap necessary for girls to use while menstruating.

According to the study by SNV Zimbabwe, 72 percent of menstruating school girls do not use sanitary products simply because they cannot afford them.

The study further established that 62 percent of school girls are forced to miss school every month due to a lack of sanitary wear.

Poor rural girls end up using alternatives such as rags, blankets, pieces of mattress, tissue paper and cotton wool putting their health and hygiene at risk.

However, Government has made efforts to ease the situation by scrapping taxes on all sanitary products.