2016-10-19Staff Report 2 Windhoek To increase school attendance and the academic performance of girls, Sister Namibia Magazine launches SisterPADS tomorrow at the National Art Gallery of Namibia (NAGN). SisterPADS is Sister Namibia’s project to address the problem of thousands of Namibian schoolgirls, who miss an average of three schooldays a month because they cannot afford menstrual pads, by providing the girls with free re-usable pads. Tatum Strauss, a media officer at Sister Namibia, says SisterPADS offers a sustainable solution to this monthly reality. “We believe that every girl deserves education and dignity. No girl should have to stay home from school, because she can’t afford pads,” Strauss noted. Through cost-effective, eco-friendly, washable and re-usable sanitary pads they aim to improve girls’ menstrual health hygiene and welfare. “Instead of fearing embarrassment and therefore being held back by something as natural as menstruation, SisterPADS promotes agency and mobility,” Strauss adds. Further, SisterPADS will eliminate this barrier to attending school, because girls are empowered and have an improved chance to excel and complete their education. “We believe that the SisterPADS offer girls an opportunity, allowing them to become an agent of change in their own life,” she says. So far, the SisterPADS project in Namibia has been able to reach 760 girls and wishes to keep on empowering young women and facilitating their access to education. “Break the cycle, go with the flow and lets increase Namibian school girls attendance by 15 to 25 percent this year,” Strauss advised. The event will start at 18h00 on Wednesday. 2016-10-19Staff Report 2
