Girls and women who are unable to attend the skills training classes because they have no menstrual sanitary napkins and hygiene supplies can now improve their economic status by earning through learning a skill and build their communities.
This was a partnership with the HERFLOW Foundation, to provide menstrual and hygiene products to allow young women to attend skills training.
The Young Women Christian Association (YWCA) School Leavers Institute caters to marginalised women and is a government assisted institution via the payment of payment of teachers and sub ventures for students. All other costs are funded by the school.
The YWCA caters to students between the ages of 12-19 years old with classes ranging from grade 7-12. It facilitates male and female students who are deemed low achievers having literacy and numeracy problems with most operating way below their age reading levels, are considered at risk, are wards of the state, teenage mothers and drop outs of low socioeconomic background.
The current population in 2021 is 271 students who come with varying financial and social needs. One need that has been a a concern is sanitation and personal hygiene. Usually the teacher Nalecia Thomas would stock up and discreetly issue supplies, however with Covid-19 and students being at home, parents losing their jobs, the concern heightened that the hygiene needs of students were not properly addressed.
This initiative was launched to assist our students in educating them on how to properly care for their bodies and end period poverty among the female population.
Author: Nalecia Thomas, Teacher of the YWCA