ASMA Mwinyi Foundation (AMF) has distributed sanitary pads in six days to schools in Mkuranga District, Coast Region and Pemba and Unguja in Zanzibar to support safe menstruation and personal hygiene.

The donation has benefited 30,000 girls’ students in the benefited districts.

Asma Mwinyi, AMF director unveiled this yesterday in an exclusive interview, saying that the problem of missing lessons for students was the main reason that pushed them to run a fundraiser that enabled them to get more than 224m/- which has been used to buy pads and distribute them to the needy in the country.

She noted that a good number of school girls especially those from poor backgrounds face great challenges to access the sanitary towels, something which affects their attendance in class and performance in examinations.

She said that initially the goal was to reach 6,000 students and each student was targeted to get 12 packets, each of which contained 10 pads, but due to the success of the collaboration they did, it enabled them to reach many more.

According to her, the have so far managed to distribute pads in 11 districts in Isles which are seven in Unguja and four in Pemba as well as Mkuranga in Coast Region, where each student got six packets.

However, she said they have received great support from teachers and many have been raising more children in need, and those whose schools were not reached by the students themselves have followed them and told them that they need those Pads because they help reduce the problem of missing classes.

“Based on the requests of the teachers, we will send other towels that will be stored in the school and will be distributed to the students when they are in need and to control it, a special notebook will be there in which everyone who will be given their records will be stored in it, we will be passing by to check after every some time,” Asma said.

Similarly, she urged other institutions to support them in helping needy students to ensure that all girls study smoothly and achieve their goals.