over 200 million/- has been raised through special fundraiser targeting to provide free sanitary pads for school girls in the Northern Zone.
Arjun Kaur Mittal, a sixteen-year-old student of the North London Collegiate School of Dubai who has hatched the special humanitarian mission through ‘Her Needs Tanzania,’ said the philanthropic organization intends to be issuing free menstrual health towels to over 40,000 students in Tanzania, annually.
“My target is to raise 700 million/- for the cause, being a special task to ensure that female students in Arusha and Northern Tanzania stay healthy and confident during their periodical menstrual circles,” revealed Arjun Mittal, who has so far distributed sanitary pads to over 400 school girls here.
“It costs six dollars to support one girl with sanitary pads in a year, which is a more worthy cause, costing the same price as a cup of Starbucks coffee,” pointed out Ms Mittal, adding the mission to provide sanitary pads to girls will be sustainable in all coming years.
To start with, Arjun has distributed sanitary pads to the girls who are students of the Mkonoo Secondary School in the Terrat Ward of Arusha, an occasion which went hand in hand with the provision of awareness training on the importance of using sanitary pads for girls, in ensuring health among young people.
“Sanitary pads are extremely important in that they give female students the confidence of attending class at all times regardless of their menstrual conditions,” said the Arusha Member of Parliament, Mrisho Gambo during the fundraiser held at TGT grounds in Arumeru.
On his part the Managing Director Hanspaul Group, Satbir Singh Hanspaul, representing the business community in Arusha said free sanitary pads for girls’ students are as important; therefore the government should consider exempting the health items from taxes to make the towels more affordable and accessible to all.
“Sanitary pads are extremely important on that they give female students the confidence of attending class at all times regardless of their menstrual conditions,” said Clara Kanuti a Form Four Student at Mkonoo Secondary School.
According to Clara, free sanitary pads for girls’ students are as important as books; therefore the government and other education stakeholders should take that into consideration and supply those disposable hygiene towels to girls in schools.
Mwalimu Bernadetha Cosmas who teaches Biology at the Mkonoo school, admitted that many students have been missing classes during their monthly menstrual circles but once the sanitary tissues become readily available, the problem will be solved.
“We are especially advising that the girls be provided with recyclable pads that can be washed and re-used again to save costs,” said the teacher, adding that many young girls also become overly self-conscious during their menstrual periods.