Africa-Press – Botswana. Lucara Botswana has donated 2 000 sanitary pads to school-going girls in Mochudi West constituency
Speaking at the handover ceremony, Lucara managing director Ms Naseem Lahri said they were committed to promoting gender equality hence they came with a campaign to fulfil one of the sustainable development goals of gender equality and women empowerment.
She said the sustainable development goal’s aim was to eliminate harmful acts such as violence and sexual assault against women and girls
Ms Lahri said one of Lucara’s initiative was to assist school-going girls by providing them with sanitary pads to enable them to study without being interrupted because of lack of pads.
In that regard, she said Lucara employees committed their salaries to contribute to the project that donated to many schools across the country.
She said the company believed that school girls should not miss school due to lack of sanitary pads.“We learned that without proper sanitary pads some girls resorted to using mattress pieces and some unhealthy rugs to manage their periods,” she said, adding that they were contributing to elimination absenteeism and giving girls a sense of dignity.
She said Lucara was not only concerned about profits, but had a role to play in empowering communities through its corporate social responsibility programme.
Lucara chief executive officer, Ms Eira Thomas said Botswana was on the right path to eradicate gender based violence if only citizens were committed to the course.
She said every country yearned to have young girls that were raised in a safe environment and that Batswana should fight to minimise cases of GBV.
“We are here to cement our stand in the fight against GBV,” she said.
Mochudi West MP, who is also Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Mmusi Kgafela said the donation would go a long way in giving dignity and confidence to the girl-child.
He said it was disheartening that girls still lacked menstrual products and commended Lucara for donating to the less privileged across the country.
‘I am happy for the generous gesture of Lucara Diamond team for taking the responsibility to take care of the social needs for a girl child,” he said,
Mr Kgafela assured Lucara employees that the donation would reach its intended beneficiaries.
He appealed to individuals and society to stop discrimination against women and girls.
Kgamanyane school head, Mr Paul Mmelesi appealed for assistance in equipping the school with laboratories and learning equipment.
He said the school needed four classroom blocks to decongest it and that it also needed information and technology tools to minimise the use of paper.
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