The non-profit organisation, I Am For Her Foundation (IAFHF), has launched a new fundraising campaign to ensure that menstrual hygiene is not neglected during the lockdown.
The campaign has enabled them to supply sanitary products to at least three branches of the Haven Night Shelter Welfare organisation in the Western Cape.
The IAFHF is encouraging people to donate to this campaign on the Donate Nation’s app and website. Donations can also be made directly into IAFHF’s bank account, said Nicky Cupido, the IAFHF chairperson.
This campaign was formed in response to a request from the Bellville branch of the Haven Night Shelter, Cupido said.
The I Am For Her Foundation is encouraging people to donate funds using the Donate Nation platform, instead of going out to buy the sanitary products and putting themselves at risk during the lockdown. POSTER: Instagram/I Am For Her Foundation.
“During this lockdown period, many foundations have been focusing on the acquisition and distribution of food parcels to indigent communities. We focussed on providing sanitary towels and dignity packs, in line with our core mandate of returning dignity to our indigent girls,” Cupido said.
Initially, the shelter only requested food donations from the IAFHF, said Cupido. However, after the IAFHF realised that sanitary hygiene was not receiving the same sense of urgency as the need for food and shelter, the IAFHF sought to address sanitary hygiene as well, she said.
“The foundation realised that given the multitude of other needs faced by shelters, there is a need for us to engage around sanitary dignity and other hygiene challenges,” she said.
We ask for donations of things like clothing, shoes, and those personal items like pads for women because if women are not treated with the dignity that they’re entitled to, it makes it so much more difficult to do other things.”
The Haven Night Shelter has 15 shelters in the Western Cape, said Hassan Khan, chief executive officer of the Haven Night Shelter Welfare Organisation. Their main focus is to assist adult homeless persons and to reintegrate them into society, he said.
“We give out toiletry packs and we replenish as [they are] used up. There must be a predictable supply of sanitary pads, so we’re very grateful for [this] kind of initiative,” Khan said.
The organisation relies on donations from the community for personal items, which assist them to restore the dignity of the people they help, said Khan.
“We ask for donations of things like clothing, shoes, and those personal items like pads for women, because if women are not treated with the dignity that they’re entitled to, it makes it so much more difficult to do other things,” he said.
Access to sanitary products continues to be an issue
“Accessibility remains a challenge to those less fortunate, because of the cost of these sanitary products,” said Cupido. With the aid of sponsors, the IAFHF will be able to supply sanitary towels to Haven Night Shelter free of charge.
Additionally, the lockdown has also prevented access to students who relied on the sanitary products provided at schools, said Cupido.
Awareness around the neglect of menstrual hygiene and lack of access to sanitary products is not lost to Stellenbosch, said Kirsten Adams, former SU student and musician. This lack of access has been further hampered by the Covid-19 pandemic, Adams said.
Adams has started a project, The Platform, to advocate for menstrual hygiene in Stellenbosch by hosting multimodal exhibitions and collecting sanitary products for people who cannot access them.
Former SU student, Kirsten Adams, founded The Platform in 2017. The Platform is a collective of performing and visual artists who raise awareness and funds for causes such as menstrual hygiene. PHOTO: Instagram/The Platform.
“The elusiveness of this disease has suspended or ended various jobs. Some of these jobs people depend on for the bare minimum,” said Adams. The loss of an income stream compromises access to sanitary care, she said.
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