A teachers’ representative organisation has expressed concern over the delayed provision of sanitary pads for rural female school pupils despite earlier assurances by the Government that the rural school-going girls were going to be provided with the pads, starting January 2020.
In mid-November 2019, Ncube unveiled the country’s 2020 budget, which made a surprise announcement that ZWL $200 million (US$12.5 million) had been allocated for the provision of sanitary pads, starting in January 2020, to all rural schoolgirls who have reached puberty.
In comments posted on its official Twitter handle, the Amalgamated Rural Teachers’Association (ARTUZ) queried the Finance Minister on the matter and said if the delay was due to unavailability of transport, the association was prepared to meet the costs.
“Our Gender and Social Welfare department has conducted a survey on the promise for sanitary pads in 2020 budget. Our girls are still to receive these pads. (Minister Ncube, where are the pads? We are available to assist with transportation”, said ARTUZ signing off with the hashtag ‘SmartFlow’.
The announcement of sanitary wear provision was received with excitement across the divide and one notable personality who expressed elation over the matter was politician and gender activist, Priscilla Misihairambwi-Mushonga.
“I cried when I heard the news,” Misihairambwi-Mushonga was quoted as saying.
“I was away on the day so I missed this life-changing announcement. That this could happen in my lifetime is a blessing! I hope the generations to come will appreciate that it took years of abuse and ridicule to get here,” she said.
Zwnews
