Aletta Shikololo

WINDHOEK – With the aim of keeping a girl child in school, First National Bank (FNB) Namibia encouraged its employees to donate sanitary pads at their recent basketball pad drive which took place last week. 
The first basketball pad drive, which was hosted by FNB Loan Centre in Windhoek, encouraged employees to donate sanitary pads by shooting them through a basketball hoop. 

According to the Loan Centre branch administrator, Nicole Kisting, the initiative has helped to collect almost 400 packets of sanitary pads and its purpose is to address the need they see in the community. As FNB they want to give a helping hand to the society. 

“We decided to help the community of Groot Aub where they have two primary schools and one secondary school. We will be doing the handover at the end of July to give more employees the chance to donate,” said the Client Service representative at FNB Loan Centre, Noorjehan Green. 

Green confirmed that they want to host this event every month to assist girls who are not able to afford sanitary pads during their menstrual cycle. 

“We want to help keep our girl child in school. They are suffering and for almost a week they are not in school because they have their periods. We want to take away the stigma associated with menstruation and we want to involve the men to help keep our girls in school,” said Green.

 “I feel that it’s very important for men to be a part of initiatives that support women, especially young women. These girls enter a stage of maturity that can be confusing, they feel afraid and dirty, which is not right. As men we should put women on pedestals so that they feel appreciated – we will never understand their predicament, so let’s be there for them,” said Brendon Coetzee, a legal officer at FNB Windhoek. 

Coetzee believes that each and every person can make a difference and support the women in their lives.  “I decided to take part because, without the women in my life, I wouldn’t be where I am today,” Coetzee said.