Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA) has donated 1 000 sanitary pads
to leaners at Madhlelenyoni Secondary School in Ntabazinduna in Umguza
district.

The donation is part of the 10 000 pads secured by ZINWA to assist rural girls
in the ongoing fight against period poverty.

Speaking at the handover ceremony the ZINWA Catchment Manager, Engineer
Hassan Tobve said the donation is part of the authority’s pursuit for good
corporate citizenship.

“This event is part of the Corporate Social Responsibility activities which are
deliberately tailored to ensure that the Authority brings a positive impact in

society and within the communities it operates in, by not only providing water
to communities but by also giving back to the very communities in which it
operates. In doing so, ZINWA is appreciating the support that it always gets
from these communities that also provide organisations with the relevant social
license to operate.

“Giving to the community is a very pertinent and relevant thing especially at a
time where stakeholder needs, expectations continuously evolve and with
stakeholders demanding greater recognition and involvement,” said Tobve
Tobve went on and said, the ZINWA Corporate Social Responsibility Policy,
put in place by the board, gives a clear layout and framework of the areas that
the Authority can make interventions and bring out positive outcomes for both
the Authority and its publics.

“Among these areas are health, education as well as water and sanitation. The
policy also sets out a vigorous, transparent and rigorous criterion through which
beneficiaries of ZINWA’s Corporate Social Responsibility are identified and
chosen. It is through this painstaking process that the Authority, in collaboration
with the office of the Provincial Education Director settled for this school as a
beneficiary of these sanitary pads,” he said.

The donation comes at a time when there has been an increase of girls who
prefer to miss schools due to lack of sanitary pads.

A 2022 survey done by Zimvac showed that 62 percent of young girls tend to
miss out on school every month on account of lack of sanitary wear and the
highest number of these come from low-income families which largely live in
rural areas.

This period poverty not only affects the young girls’ education but their mental
wellbeing as well since in some communities they get stigmatised. In some

households, parents do not allow young girls to go out and play while on their
periods, due to lack of sanitary wear.

Young girls also suffer the lack of menstrual hygiene friendly infrastructure
such as ablution facilities, which some schools are working to address.

“These girls deserve our support and assistance as individuals and as
organizations. They deserve the same opportunities and support as their male
counterparts. We therefore urge fellow corporates to come on board and join the
efforts to reduce and eventually eliminate period poverty,” he said.