The Rob Youth Foundation, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture, has launched a nationwide campaign to provide sanitary pads and toiletries to help address social challenges faced by Namibian youth both in and out of school.

The launch of the donations was held at the Dagbreek School in Windhoek, where the foundation provided 140 learners with sanitary pads, toiletries and food hampers to kick-start the programme on Sunday.

Rob Youth Foundation Managing Director Robert Maseka told Nampa on Monday the foundation was able to identify schools in need of assistance and fulfil some of its core mandates as a youth foundation through the Ministry of Education.

The Rob Youth Foundation was founded in 2019 with the goal of addressing and resolving social challenges faced by Namibian youth both in and out of school.

“We have recognised that there are numerous social ills that require immediate attention, not only from the government but also from all stakeholders in general. It is our hope to be able to foster a progressive, gender-neutral and appropriate society. Education is an important component of empowering our citizens at household level and as we are all aware, a good household has the potential to shape a close-knit community, which translates into a conducive society and, ultimately, a better nation in general,” he stated.

Sanet Steenkamp, the Education Ministry’s Executive Director, said the ministry strives to achieve inclusive and equitable quality education for all learners in the country.

In this context, the ministry is collaborating with the Rob Youth Foundation through the Division for Special School and Programmes to ensure that the needs of learners with disabilities are met in order to maximise their potential.

“This collaboration with the Rob Youth Foundation will allow us to exclusively address the social and economic challenges that our students face in our schools. We are all aware that the lack of menstrual health and hygiene commodities and facilities poses serious challenges to girl children, particularly those with disabilities. They frequently miss school during their menstrual periods to avoid shame and embarrassment,” she stated.

The foundation, with the assistance of the ministry, will roll out the donation drive to Namibia’s 14 regions in the coming weeks, with schools with disabled students benefiting first.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency