Capricorn Group employees, in their capacity as ‘changemakers’, donated over 16 500 sanitary pads to more than 50 vulnerable young girls from orphanages and other vulnerable communities in Windhoek on Tuesday.
The donation was made in order to raise awareness of the challenges that many girls face around the world and to commemorate International Day of the Girl Child, which is observed annually on 11 October.
Marlize Horn, Group Executive for Brand and Corporate Affairs and Executive Officer for the Capricorn Foundation, told Nampa on Wednesday that Capricorn Foundation receives numerous requests for financial assistance from projects that assist vulnerable girls with the production and supply of sanitary pads.
Capricorn Group, she said, recognised the increased plight of disadvantaged young girls in vulnerable communities, as well as their struggle to obtain sanitary pads, which often keeps them away from school for several days each month.
Capricorn Group, according to Horn, decided to use the International Day of the Girl Child as an opportunity to support Namibia’s girl child in a tangible way, and called on their employees to donate sanitary pads and wipes, which were then given to the identified orphanages.
“According to research, underprivileged girls can miss up to 50 days of school per year due to a lack of adequate feminine hygiene products. In support of our group’s purpose of being ‘Connectors of Positive Change’, we encouraged our employees to not only volunteer their time to spend here today with the girls, but also to donate their resources to purchase these feminine hygiene products. This way, we’re all helping to support and empower a young girl,” she explained.
Capricorn Group’s Changemaker programme has established the company as a Connector of Positive Change in the community, and employees will continue to look for opportunities to bring about positive change in communities and contribute to Namibia’s social welfare, she said.