Running4Pads is a group committed to empowering girls in school by collecting pads while at races and donating them to schools in need.
Running4Pads is made up of a group of runners. The people involved in the group are all avid runners and decided to use their passion for good. They encourage anyone going to their races, to take along sanitary pads. Running4Pads collect the donations and distribute them to schools in areas where a pad is considered a luxury.
The group was founded by Amanda Smith, who wanted to use her first marathon as a way to do good.
“It’s about creating awareness and collecting pads for underprivileged school girls to keep them in school. Many girls stay out of school when it’s that time of the month and lose out on valuable lesson time. The non-profit organisation was started in 2016 after the founder, Amanda Smith, ran her first marathon and needed a cause to run for.”
“Last week, pupils at Bonteheuwel’s Rosewood Primary School received 100 packs of sanitary towels, all donations through the work the ambassadors are doing. Members of the organisation enter marathons and encourage donors to donate packets of pads for each kilometre they run. So far, Running4Pads has collected just under 25 000 sanitary towel packs and donated them to about 30 schools in Cape Town.”
“This year the organisation collected 5 295 packs of pads and donated them to 10 schools and four community organisations.”
“One of our ambassadors, Peter J Moses wrote this thought-provoking and honest open letter to our President.” – Marisa Calvert
Peter (pictured above) is a father of two boys and yet, the cause is still vitally important to him. He wrote an open letter to President Ramaphosa, urging him to take action in South Africa. He wanted him to know that this cause is equally as important as fighting crime or poverty.
You can read the full letter here, but below is a moving extract from the letter, where Peter discusses what it must feel like to be a girl without adequate sanitary protection.
What surprises me, or maybe I should say horrifies me, is that there are many people out there who do not see this lack of sanitary pads as an important issue. How can anybody not see the importance of keeping girls in school? And of keeping girls healthy in body and mind? The painful physical effects are just one of the things they must face, but what about the mental anguish that comes with the fear of being shamed and ridiculed by not only their peers but strangers as well? It must be a tremendous battle to keep their self-esteem intact and to salvage a little bit of their dignity. Why do we insist on making life harder when there really is no need for this to be an issue?
Peter is advocating that Government take the matter seriously and address the patriarchal society that thrives in South Africa. By empowering and uplifting women, there is an opportunity to uplift the entire country. It is a simple start to focus on menstrual hygiene.
You can find out about how to get involved in the project here.
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