Project Dignity has 9 341 reasons to celebrate 2018

It’s been a busy year for the team from Project Dignity, the non-profit organisation which distributes reusable sanitary wear – Subz Pants and Pads – to grateful young women across the country. The recent activation, which took place at Amagcino Primary School in Umgababa on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast, was the 58th and final school visit for the dedicated Project Dignity team.

“We are so happy to say that, this year, a total of 9 341 young women from disadvantaged communities across the country, received packs of Subz Pants and Pants that will last them up to five years,” said Sue Barnes, founder of Subz Pants and Pads and the NPO extension, Project Dignity. “And while it’s such a rewarding feeling knowing the difference these packs have made to the lives of our young women, we are already hard at work, sourcing sponsorships for our 2019 packs.”

Barnes created South Africa’s original washable, reusable sanitary wear, Subz Pants and Pads, and established Project Dignity as a way to meet the sanitary needs of South African schoolgirls. The reality is that a lack of access to sanitary wear forces many girls to miss up to a week a month of classroom time, detrimentally impacting their education and future prospects.

Since its inception in 2010, Project Dignity has donated in the region of 140 000 packs nationwide, with the list of schools and organisations requiring assistance constantly growing. The NPO relies solely on donations from corporates and individuals to meet the demands.

The Project Dignity Education Programme distributes packs of Subz Pants and Pads to schoolchildren with one pack able to last each child throughout high school, if cared for correctly. Every school donation is accompanied by an educational, interactive talk on puberty and feminine health. Of the 9 341 Subz packs distributed in 2018, 7 569 contributed towards the Education Programme.

The sanitary packs for Amagcino Primary School were purchased from donations made by Australian philanthropist, Fiona Waller. Her contributions will also go towards buying Subz packs for school donations in 2019.

“We would like to thank all our sponsors who are giving these young women a chance at a real future,” said Barnes. “We are overwhelmed by the 2018 donations – totalling R428 400 – and are excited to top this amount in the New Year!”

Special thanks were extended to corporates and organisations that have partnered with Project Dignity this year, including:

• The Clicks Helping Hand Trust
• Fiona Waller, Australian Funder
• IPSOS
• Wild Coast Sun Bizana Trust
• International Association of Human Values
• My School Campaign
• E-Club Rotary
• Rotary (Marion Spence)
• Nation Changers through City Hill
• 31 Club
• Derivco

If you would like to get involved, or find out more about Project Dignity, visit:
Website: www.projectdignity.co.za and www.subzpads.co.za
Twitter: @dignityforwomen
Facebook: Project Dignity

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