ABCDreams UK and Binti Msafi, Tanzania just completed their annual 1st quarter distribution of disposable sanitary pads at Lyasikika Secondary School in Hai district, Kilimanjaro Region.
We have enjoyed this collaboration for 5 years to date and it was thanks to Martha Austin who intitiated the scheme with the primary schools that we supported in 2014.
It’s always a pleasure to see the happy faces when Lyasikika School gets a visit from Binti Msafi. Click the photo above for the full video.
As well as helping the girls, we have taken on 5 students in Form 4 (Year 10 equivalent), some of whom were in our primary school classes at the start of the campaign (see previous post). We anticipate this number to grow by the end of the year as exam fees approach. All donations welcome here! A Form 4 student’s family is expected to pay about £35 ($48) for the year in school fees and stationery supplies – not a lot in our terms but difficult for many families in the village.
As well as supplying disposable sanitary pads, ABCDreams UK plans to provide re-usable pads – a much more economic solution. We hope to team up with the Little ARK community group here in the UK. Little ARK serves the community of the London Borough of Merton with social sewing sessions, getting members of the communities of Morden and Mitcham out and about and busy with the craft skills of sewing. They promote and use upcycled materials for their work, enhancing environmental understanding. We hope to phase the process of supplying the re-usable pads gradually as a mixed solution.
It’s still early in the year. We’ve had a very productive start! Thanks to all for your continued support.
John de Ronde, ABCDreams UK
Fantastic news John…so glad to hear that there is movement towards reusable kits for the girls. As you say, more economical and also much better for the environment.