By ‘Mamohaila Rampo
MASERU
In a bit to control the rate of absenteeism by adolescent girls at Mount Royal High and Primary School, Iconics Pty Ltd organized and contributed to the donation of sanitary pads to the schools last week Friday.
As an events company Iconics Pty Ltd organized an event called “Vibe with a purpose” where, for entry, one had to bring along a pack of sanitary pads or more as part of the donations. Through this initiative they were able to collect two months’ supply of sanitary towels for 120 girls. The event served as a celebration of the company’s 6th anniversary.
Iconics Pty Ltd Co-Founder Mosebetsi Rapitso clarified that Mount Royal was selected because it has a lot of vulnerable students some of whom also have disability. He said their aim is to have this events quarterly and continue to give back to the community, also expanding this initiative to other schools.
Through the input of a few sponsors like The Vibe and the Lesotho Red Cross Society (LRCS), boys were also not sidelined from this event as 30 school boys received face cloths.
Rapitso said they found out from teachers that deodorants and soaps are still a major problem that requires intervention to allow students to learn in a healthy and encouraging environment.
Rapitso said due to poverty, some menstruating girls lack sanitary pads and as a result do not attend school until the cycle is over, which increases absenteeism and dropout, thereby affecting the performance of the girl child. He said by providing sanitary pads, many girls will concentrate and complete school. With increased performance, the gender gap between boys’ and girls’ enrolment and retention in school will be reduced.
He concluded by pealing with more businesses and individuals to come forward and sponsor their events to help create a better Lesotho for all.
