Zinara Restores Dignity of Rural Girls

Zinara has distributed dignity packs to over 760 girls in Bubi District under its Project We Care initiative, tackling period poverty and promoting school attendance (image source)

HARARE — The Zimbabwe National Roads Administration (Zinara) this week distributed dignity packs to more than 760 schoolgirls in Bubi District, part of a broader social-support drive officials say targets period poverty in remote communities and aims to improve school attendance among adolescent girls.

The packs, handed over at Siganda and Sigonde secondary schools, included sanitary pads, soap and other personal-hygiene items under Zinara’s Project We Care corporate social responsibility programme. Beneficiaries and teachers told journalists the intervention reduces the stigma and absenteeism that often accompany menstrual management challenges in rural schools.

School headmasters said attendance among girls has been erratic during menstruation because of the cost and limited availability of sanitary products. One Form Three pupil said the hygiene kits meant she would no longer miss classes or face ridicule from classmates.

Development NGOs and reproductive-health activists welcomed Zinara’s outreach but urged sustainable measures — such as local pad production, menstrual-health education and improved sanitation facilities — to complement such donations. ActionAid Zimbabwe and similar organisations have reported that sustained dignity-kit programmes and community education significantly reduce school days lost to menstruation and improve girls’ long-term learning outcomes.

Public-health experts highlighted the wider benefits of regular access to menstrual supplies, including reduced infections, better self-confidence and a higher likelihood of girls completing secondary education. They also encouraged the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education to integrate predictable procurement and distribution systems into policy frameworks.

Zinara’s communications head said the donation reflects the agency’s broader social-welfare role in supporting community resilience and inclusion. The packs were funded through Project We Care, with similar outreach events planned in other provinces later this year.

Local councillors and community leaders at the handovers called for expanded menstrual-health programmes involving male engagement, teacher training and investment in private, safe sanitation facilities. They noted dignity packs are most effective when combined with facility upgrades and consistent supply chains.