The National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) in partnership with Imbali Sanitary Towels Pads Project is launching an exciting initiative called Sistaz4Life, a campaign that will be focussed on targeting key social issues facing young women today. Projects that fall under Sistaz4Life include; Breast cancer awareness, 16 Days of Activism against Women and Children Abuse, World Aids Day, International Day for People Living with Disabilities and the Sanitary Towel Distribution Project.
Aimed at rural and peri-urban based young women, the Sanitary Towel Distribution Project will be launched on Friday 23 March 2012 at Mandlakazulu Senior Primary School in Lindelani, on the outskirts of KwaMashu, KwaZulu-Natal.
According to research, lack of access to sanitary towels often results in young women from poorer backgrounds being absent from school or experiencing the loss of human dignity because of having no choice but to use old newspapers or cloths. Young women in Africa have been reported as being absent from school for a period of at least 4 days per month, this number can total up to approximately 24 weeks out of 144 weeks in a 4 year period of high school. In some instances, these young women suffer from stress and depression as a result of fear of staining their clothes.
“The key priority for this particular project is for young women in schools to have the necessary knowledge, facilities and environment to manage menstruation hygienically and with dignity. This Project will assist in ensuring that girl learners do not miss valuable learning time,” says Innocentia Motau, NYDA Board member.
The National Youth Development Agency already has a key focus on youth development in the areas of education and life skills, economic participation and employability, leadership and engagement and health education and awareness.
Through the Sanitary Towels Project the NYDA and partners aim to achieve development in the areas of health, education and gender equality.
“The Sistaz4LifeProject is not just about supplying sanitary towels to young women, it is about making significant life changing differences. The sanitary towels do not only enable girls to attend class regularly, the effect is greater in the sense that this improves on the government’s goal of making access to education simpler and eventually ensuring better economic exposure for these young women” Motau concludes.
The National Youth Development Agency, together with its partners, helps young girls stay in school
