Corporates can help to keep a girl child in school

APRIL 2022
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CORPORATES CAN HELP TO KEEP A GIRL CHILD IN SCHOOL

Nelspruit, Mpumalanga, 19 April, – At a networking breakfast hosted by Southern Sun Emnotweni Hotel, on Tuesday, Riverside CID Social Investment Foundation brought together a collective of individuals in pursuit to make a difference in the lives of girls who are absent from school as a result of period poverty.

The University of Stellenbosch estimates that 30% of schoolgirls miss school for three to five days every month. This, coupled with the lack of knowledge about menstruation, is called period poverty.
Riverside CID Social Investment Foundation founded with the aim to reach into communities and to facilitate catalysing, sustainable projects that make an impact, also seeks to showcase innovative projects like Blossom Care Solutions which have been set up to combat the issues brought about by period poverty in South Africa.

A total of 2 194 girls in Mpumalanga have so far benefitted from a local plant established by Blossom Care Solutions. The plant manufactures sanitary products for disadvantaged young women. Shamiela Sarlie, Managing Director of Blossom Care Solutions, during the opening of the plant in September last year said that the emphasis is on developing confident, capable young women who will be able to take over the running of the business after 12 months.

Not only has this project by Blossom Care Solutions helped to keep girl children in school, but it has also created jobs for eight young women. Feroza Sarlie, Blossom Marketing and Communications lead, says the Mbombela team has settled in really well since the opening and are busy with their first-year programme.

Because Blossom relies heavily on partners from the community to sustain and expand its activities. Riverside CID Social Investment Foundation created a platform for the network of business within the CID to hear more about Blossom Care in such a manner that makes them want to get involved.

“We have been working with HL Hall & Sons in Mbombela and we are actively looking to grow the number of businesses in Mpumalanga that can support Blossom, so we welcome this event arranged by the Riverside CID Social Investment Foundation,” Feroza says.

“We work with corporates to encourage them to allocate socio-economic development, supplier development and corporate social investment budgets to buy pads from our factories so that these can be donated to schools. When doing so, they help improve development outcomes for schoolgirls in our township markets. The corporates receive full value on their BEE scorecards for their spend when buying these pads to help to sustain the factories,” she says.

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Contact Person: Jessica Prim
Email: jessica.spandp.co.za
Contact Number: 071 885 9642