Help Shanizia make a difference by donating N$ 10 or sanitary pads from today to Thursday.
Inspired by her experience, Shanizia Da Cunha wants to make a difference by uplifting school girls through her N$ 10 Sanitary Pad Campaign. The 18 year year old says during her tenure as a student representative council member there was always a shortage of sanitary pads from her school.
” She felt embarrassed and helpless, but I explained to her that she can trust me and I ended up giving her one of my packs for the week. I explained to her that no one should have to feel embarrassed for mensuration and that this is the natural course of our bodies,” she says.
It was at this moment that the finalist realized the mindset around the topic within her peers and society. The model says no girl should be absent from school for not being able to afford sanitary pads and that this is a responsibility for the nation.
“Young girls have their menstruation and feel embarrassed about it because of the stigma society has attached to it. Girls go through trauma during menstruation and thus are absent from school and I believe if we educate young girls we educate a nation. This should be treated as a necessity and not a luxury,” she says.
The N$10 Sanitary Pad Campaign urges members of society to donate sanitary pads and/or a N$10 in aid of the campaign. This will be in direct support to provide young girls with the needed sanitary pads whilst also starting the conversation to end the stigma attached to menstruation. A donation box will be available at Cramer’s Ice Cream shop in Independence Avenue from today till 22 August where all donations can be made.
“I will also be present at Cramer’s Ice Cream on 22 August 2019 from 10H00 to share more information on the campaign and answer any questions. We can only move forward with unity and I, therefore, pledge to help uplift my community,” she says.
