Johannesburg - Miss South Africa 2022, Ndavi Nokeri, has selected her home province of Limpopo to announce a new partnership, which forms part of her Ed-Unite campaign, as learners from Mashooro Secondary School become the first beneficiaries of her campaign.
Ed-Unite by Nokeri, in association with Miss South Africa, has also merged with the Imbumba Foundation and Forever New to assist in ending period poverty through the Imbumba Foundation’s ambitious Caring4Girls programme.
The programme raises funds for infrastructure and facilities in schools, scholarships and bursaries, medical and menstrual hygiene support, as well as sports and training.
In implementing her Ed-Unite campaign, the Miss South Africa title holder plays the role of convenor, linking like-minded groups to act in concert as they redress the inequalities of the past.
She acts as a link between big corporations, foundations, and schools in need, ensuring that businesses with services to offer and finances to spend on corporate social investment are partnered with each other.
Nokeri launched the partnerships with the school on Tuesday where she met learners and distributed sanitary pads.
The beauty queen commented on the partnerships: “It was a no-brainer for me to return to Limpopo and help learners from my home province thanks to the initial monies raised by my Ed-Unite campaign.
“We will be visiting more schools in other provinces in the new year.
“I have to thank Forever New and our partners, the Imbumba Foundation, who are making such a difference on the ground.
“Period poverty is another barrier to education for girls in indigent communities.
“By tackling this, we are helping bridge that gap.”
The Imbumba Foundation, which has been working directly with youth in impoverished communities and schools over the past 12 years, has an extensive footprint and experience through the foundation’s various initiatives, including the menstrual hygiene programme Caring4Girls.
It was the first non-profit organisation in the menstrual hygiene space in South Africa, and it also led the lobbying for the successful abolishment of VAT on menstrual products.
Research shows that girls from indigent backgrounds could miss between 30 and 50 days of school each year due to menstrual-related challenges, with many simply dropping out completely.
Girls’ education and empowerment save millions of lives.
Caring4Girls focuses on puberty and menstrual hygiene education, demystifying menstrual-related myths, and addressing social taboos.
The training component covers the usage, handling, and disposal of sanitary products, as well as questions teenage girls may have about menstruation and adolescence but are too embarrassed or scared to ask their elders.
It addresses peer-pressure issues, sexual and reproductive health concerns, and social issues such as gender-based violence.
The Star