Last year Air Products launched their ‘Flow Campaign’ as the corporate social investment (CSI) committee provided funds for much needed sanitary products for female learners. The funding was allocated following the realisation that there is an enormous number of female learners in South Africa who miss a number of school days every month during their menstrual cycle due to the lack of sanitary products.
The tagline of the ‘Flow Campaign’, ‘Don’t let their flow stop their go’ was deemed appropriate as many learners literally stay at home for the duration of their cycle. “The idea behind this campaign, is to help learners attend school during their cycle”, says Arthi Govender, Chairperson of the CSI Committee. “This year, we have aligned our donations to Women’s Day to show the learners that being a woman is a privilege and womanhood needs to be celebrated. We hope that our donations will have a positive impact on the learners”.
During the month of August, Women’s Month, Air Products handed out a three-month supply (more than 12 000 sanitary towels) to more than 2 000 learners at Gauteng schools, Kwa Bhekilanga Secondary School in Alexandra on 11 August and the Ingqayizivele Secondary School in Tembisa on 19 August. As an organisation, they believe in supporting the communities in which they operate and strive towards assisting where possible, regardless of the sensitivities.
“Air Products’ sponsorship initiatives are primarily centred around the youth and education. The statistics on the number of school days missed by female learners annually as the result of their menstrual cycle is alarming, and we would really like to improve this situation”, says Govender. She further mentions that there are numerous female learners who fall behind to such an extent that they drop out of school completely.
Govender concludes by saying: “Females generally find anything related to their menstrual cycles as personal and sensitive, regardless of their age or demographic group. What we aim to achieve through this initiative, is to provide every female learner with the support and encouragement to embrace womanhood and to live their lives with confidence, hope and dignity. They should not allow anything to stand in their way of an education”.