Everyone deserves to have an incredible graduation day! Let’s dress a graduate together!
Johannesburg, South Africa – Ruby Chikwiri is an incredible South African making a difference. The 22-year-old started a project six years ago which provides young underprivileged school girls with sanitary pads and has collected and donated hundreds and thousands of sanitary towels to underprivileged girls all around South Africa since then.
Chikwiri recently graduated first class for her honours, getting distinctions in every course and for her thesis. She was studying Politics, Philosophy and Economics at the University of Cape Town.
And now the incredible South African is putting her focus into her peers, who may need assistance in celebrating their degrees.
The majority of university students in South Africa face massive financial stress and getting to the end of a degree is just the start of their budgetary challenges. Many will spend their first years of working repaying debt accumulated throughout their studies.
With this in mind, Chikwiri realised that most students do not have the means to even think about dressing up for graduation day and so she started a Twitter thread to explain what she was doing and how others can get involved.
“I’ve been thinking about financial strain during graduation. I may not be attending my graduation, but I can do my bit to help & so can you.”
Chikwiri created a hashtag and format to share clothing and shoes for those in need, and social media users immediately started donating to the cause.
I've been thinking about financial strain during graduation.I may not be attending my own graduation but I can do my bit to help & so can you💫
This will be a thread for anyone who has shoes or outfits they would like to give to someone for their graduation #DressAGraduate
— Ruby Chikwiri #DressAGraduate (@Ruby_Chikwiri) March 24, 2019
Donated dresses and shoes started flooding into her inbox, but Chikwiri wants more people to get involved, even those not on Twitter so has shared her email address with social media users to assist if they can.
For anyone that would like to:
- Find or give an outfit/shoes
- Offer make-up, hair or photography services
- Offer transport for the items donated (JHB/CPT)
Please use #DressAGraduate or email ruby.chikwiri@yahoo.com.
“Everyone deserves to have an incredible graduation day! Let’s dress a graduate together!”
by 