Million Comforts campaign exceeds target
The Million Comforts campaign has again exceeded expectations by clocking a total of 1 150 651 sanitary pads in the fourth week.
|||Durban -
A week after announcing they had achieved the target of collecting 1 Million sanitary towels, The Million Comforts campaign has again exceeded expectations by clocking a total of 1 150 651 pads in the fourth week.
Just four days before the campaign officially closes, Dis-Chem, Dis-Chem Foundation and Independent Media are proud to announce that the public has gone beyond the original call to action. Bins placed in 88 Dis-Chem pharmacy stores countrywide have been exceptionally well received by the public.
The drive, launched on September 12, was initiated to help teen girls who are estimated to miss up to a quarter of their schooling if they have no means to adequate sanitaryware while having their period.
For some, it is because they cannot afford the feminine hygiene products and for others, it’s because they do not have access to pads.
The project was conceptualised by Independent Media’s Sarene Kloren. “We became aware of the NGO Caring4Girls, started by Richard Mabaso in 2012, when we published a story about Graca Machel taking the project into Mozambique.
“The fact that so many girls (25%) from disadvantaged areas in South Africa miss a quarter of their school days, exams and even finals because they don’t have access to sanitary protection when menstruating, really shocked me and I felt compelled to do something to help these young women.”
Richard Mabaso of the Imbumba foundation, custodian of Caring4Girls, has been “bowled over”over the response to the drive.
“This is amazing – now we can really expand our programme into the furthest corners of the country.”
Kloren thanked the public for their support. “We are so proud to be part of this campaign and grateful to the South African public for supporting us, and Caring4Girls is the perfect partner as they have the distribution network throughout South Africa that enables us to deliver the pads directly to the schoolgirls.”
Partnering with Caring4Girls, the Million Comforts campaign will begin handing out the donations on October 16, when the first group of girls will be educated in feminine hygiene issues and receive their three-month supply.
After that, Caring4Girls will continue handing out the collections to rural schools. Readers who wish to donate can still drop packs once purchased into the bins at all Dis-Chem stores until Friday.
Daily News