Mandela Day/ Month

On July 18th, 2024, South Africa celebrated our former President Nelson Mandela’s birthday. This day has been declared International Nelson Mandela Day, an annual celebration of his life. As South Africans, we embrace the opportunity to celebrate Nelson Mandela’s legacy throughout the entire month of July. This time serves as a global call to action for people to recognize their individual power to make a difference in communities and change the world around them.

As a Mrs. Bold South Africa 2024 finalist, I have been conducting an ongoing pads drive. This initiative has allowed me to collect pads from donors at their homes and identify a new school, Reige Park Primary School, where the need is significant. The school was chosen because many young ladies in the area face challenges in accessing basic necessities such as pads. After all, a little goes a long way.

I was accompanied by health practitioner Mrs. S. Shikwambana during my visit to the school to distribute pads and fruits. My aim was to address various concerns, provide education, and answer questions about menstruation, the body, and other challenges faced by young ladies, especially those experiencing menstruation for the first time. Some of these young girls start menstruating as early as 9 years old, which can be particularly traumatic if they are told it’s normal but lack access to necessary pads due to circumstances beyond their control. This situation is heartbreaking, and through initiatives like this, I hoped to engage with and reassure our young ladies, providing them with the support they need.

The young ladies were taught about hygiene, self-awareness, self-confidence and self-respect/ control, how to look after their bodies and to have a positive self-talk .

There was great participation from the girls. We managed to collect enough pads to give to all the girls and still leave teacher with more pads to give to the girls the next time when there’s a need. It was fulfilling to see those happy innocent faces,

“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” “Love only grows by sharing “

Remember you only need to make a difference to one child to save a generation. Thank you to all for contributing towards this initiative together we created a better month for our young ladies.