Rotary Club supports Lilongwe girls

The Rotary Club of Lilongwe-Lingadzi on Tuesday donated over 250 reusable sanitary pads to adolescent girls at Shire Urban Primary School in Lilongwe.

Speaking during the donation, Rotary Club of Lilongwe-Lingadzi president Giorgia Prizzon said the sanitary pads were sourced from fistula survivors at Bwaila Fistula Care Centre in Lilongwe, whom the club trained in making pads and other cloths materials such as hand bags.

“The idea is that while we are empowering these girls, those women we supported with the skills should also use this as part of their market,” he said.

Prizzon said the donation is part of ongoing support the club has been providing to Shire Urban Primary School, which has 2 274 learners.

The club has previously planted trees on the school campus.

Receiving the donation, the school’s head teacher Linly Magombo Kafula said the donation will help them support girls who need pads while at school.

She said: “The school provides at least 60 sanitary pads every month to girls in need, as some of the girls come from poor families. This will help ensure no girl misses classes during menstruation.”

In his remarks, Rotary Club International governor for District 9210 Gabriel Chipara, who is visiting from Zimbabwe and presided over the event, spoke of the need for projects aimed at also empowering the boy-child.

He said while girl-child empowerment initiatives are important, the boy-child too should be empowered to avoid creating a generation of imbalances.

District 9210 covers Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe and North of Mozambique.