Over 600 disadvantaged pupils from Alfred Nzo District will be beneficiaries of school uniforms and sanitary towels for girls.
This was revealed by the MEC for Social Development and Special Programmes, Pemmy Majodina during a Back to School Campaign held in Bhizana’s Dayimane Junior Secondary School. These are the disadvantaged children that were identified jointly by social workers, traditional leaders and teachers.
This campaign, also known as Dress a Child Campaign, is aimed to encourage school children to attend school, especially those that are from poor families. It is also aimed to instil confidence to girl chidren, thus supplied with sanitory towels. “Girl children who don’t have means to buy them sonitory towels are at risk of losing four to five days of school days if they are not supported, because they will shy away from school in fear of embrassment during their menstrual period,” MEC Majodina says.
In total, 662 pupils from different local municipalities around the District will be receipients of the uniform when this year’s campaign comes to an end, but not limited to if there is a dire need to issue more.
At Dayimane, 256 school uniforms and 35 school bags were issued out whilst 50 families will receive food parcels for three consecutive months. The first stop for MEC Majodina was at Nikwe pre-School, an Early Childhood Development Centre that is funded by the department. Children from the centre were given lunch box bags, and were also furnished with stimulating material (toys).
From the Centre, the MEC was met with over 300 people who were waiting for her at a tent outside the yard of Dayimane JSS. She kept the crowd on toes with songs of struggle, also reminding them of the work that was done by the late ANC’s Oliver Reginald Tambo, who also hails from Bhizana, in liberating the country from the apartheid regime. Also from the area is ANC stalwart Winnie Madikizela Mandela.
MEC Majodina reminded parents of their role in the holistic development of a child. “As parents, you need to have an interest on the school work of your child… ask him or her ‘what did you do at school today’, as that will motivate them to perform well at school. Children have a right to love, a right to protection, a right to development, a right to education and a right to health services. If you perfect those rights, our children are destined for a bright future,” she added.
The district will distribute the rest of the uniform as MEC only issued out 256 on the day.
