.….Stanbic Bank Marketing Specialist, Client Segments, Tendai Rafemoyo (second from left) flanked by Murembe High representatives, from left, Ms Fadzai Peni; Deputy Head, Amos Zembere (second right); and Ms Sharon Sadomba (right) at the hand over ceremony.
By Desire Tshuma
Bindura – Stanbic Bank has launched its annual countrywide donation of reusable sanitary pads and undergarments, with a goal to keep 1 500 girls in school across Zimbabwe by addressing one of the leading causes of absenteeism in rural classrooms.
The programme began on Monday in Bindura, 90 kilometers north-west of Harare, where 370 packs were handed over to learners at Murembe High School and Chivese Primary School. The initiative, worth USD 15 000, is being implemented in partnership with Talia Women’s Network.
For many girls in remote areas, menstruation often means missed lessons, stigma, and in some cases, the use of unsafe alternatives. Stanbic Bank Marketing Specialist, Client Segments, Tendai Rafemoyo said the bank designed the programme to remove that barrier.
“Stanbic Bank is fully aware that some girls resort to unorthodox and often harmful methods as substitutes for sanitary ware while others end up not even going to school for lack of these pads. This longstanding gesture from Stanbic Bank guarantees these girls uninterrupted education for at least two years,” Rafemoyo said.
She added that the donation falls under the bank’s Corporate Social Investment pillars of education, health and sanitation, the environment, and sports. Rafemoyo noted that putting the girl child at the center of health and education programmes is critical to building stronger communities.
The partnership with Talia Women’s Network goes beyond product distribution. At both schools, learners received interactive hygiene and reproductive health lessons to promote confidence and correct information around menstrual health.
Talia Women’s Network Founder, Saliwe Zakaria, said Menstrual Health and Hygiene is a core pillar of her organisation’s work. The registered non-profit aims to create communities where girls and young women lead healthy, confident, and economically empowered lives.
“This important work is made possible through our valued partnership with Stanbic Bank Zimbabwe, which has supported our Menstrual Health and Hygiene pillar since 2019. Over the years, the partnership has enabled us to reach thousands of vulnerable girls with essential menstrual hygiene products and education,” Zakaria said.
“We are delighted to continually reaffirm our shared commitment to ending period poverty and ensuring that every girl has an opportunity to learn, grow and pursue her dreams without interruption.”
School authorities welcomed the intervention. Murembe High School Deputy Head, Amos Zembere, said the combination of sanitary products and education was already having an impact on both learners and teachers.
“We say a big thank you to Talia Women’s Network for the invaluable reproductive health and hygiene lessons and to Stanbic Bank for the donation of reusable pads. The lessons were of great benefit even to the teachers while the donation is a confidence booster for the girls as they are now guaranteed to always attend lessons,” Zembere said.
The Bindura handover marks the first phase of this year’s rollout. Last year, Stanbic Bank donated sanitary ware and undergarments in two phases, reaching girls in Buhera, Murehwa, Chipinge, Mashonaland West, Matabeleland and Masvingo.
With this year’s target of 1 500 girls, Stanbic Bank says it hopes to contribute to reducing period poverty and improving retention and performance of girls in school nationwide.