WHILE student representative councils (SRC) are traditionally known for fighting with authorities, the student union at Zimbabwe Open University(ZOU) Matabeleland North region has touched lives of hundreds of vulnerable children in Hwange district.
More than 400 girls drawn from eight primary and secondary schools and an orphanage have received sanitary pads and groceries from ZOU Matabeleland North region’s SRC.
The region’s SRC president Ms Patience Ndlovu who is also ZOU national SRC vice president said a survey done by the students body showed that lack of access to sanitary pads was a cause for concern in Matabeleland North where some girls drop out of school as a result.
Ms Ndlovu said the SRC used contributions from students and mobilised some resources from well-wishers and business community.
“We started our project in June after we were tasked to do community activities and so we chose sanitary pads campaign because in our region some girls fail to go to school as they cannot afford them according to a research we did.
“So we discovered as students that girls bear the biggest burden of poverty and we took it upon ourselves as ZOU SRC to campaign for pads and Economic Empowerment Group partnered us,” she said.
The student reps have given pads to girls at Mabinga, Lwendulu, St Ignatius and St Mary’s Primary schools and Hwange Secondary, Hwange Government High, Chilisa Secondary and Lukosi Secondary.
Recently they donated an assortment of groceries to Mhambi orphanage in Victoria Falls.
Police Victim Friendly Unit has also been partnering the SRC to raise awareness about gender based violence and general abuse of girls.
Ms Ndlovu thanked individuals, businesspersons, organisations and companies for supporting the cause.
“We get contributions from students and well-wishers and also used SRC funds given by the university to buy groceries for the orphanage,” she said. – The Chronicle
