The spirit of unity through Interact
14th February 2025
Our Braeburn Interact Club is centred around ‘service above self,’ yet it is in our service to others that we truly find ourselves.
On Thursday February 6th, BISA Rotarians donated 768 pads to Mwandeti primary school. Through the generosity of our BISA family, we were able to equip girls with a vital need. Through our efforts at Interact, we work towards ensuring the girl child can flourish, that one day she’ll rise with strength in her heart and reclaim the future that’s hers from the start.
Partnering with the organisation ‘Elle Peut Naidim,’ BISA Rotarians witnessed the vitality of period hygiene education. One rotarian even had the opportunity to speak to students and share information on our efforts towards battling Period Poverty at BISA. While speaking to the girls, the wave of gratitude and appreciation for pads became explicitly clear, pads are a luxury to so many girls, despite being a necessity to all of us.
Hafsa, a workshop coordinator from 'Elle Peut Naidim' highlighted how their ‘happy periods, happy girls’ program actively involves girls as well as both boys and men in their conversations about periods, because part of making periods more accessible is also addressing stigma and discrimination rooted in menstruation through education.
When we limit period education only to girls, we limit our strength. We limit our fight against period stigma and poverty to half. However, the fight to end period poverty needs everyone- boys and men included.
I can think of no stronger sentiment than the spirit of Ubuntu to describe our hallways at BISA.
Ubuntu translates to ‘I am because we are,’ an ancient African word rooted in humanist African philosophy. In our BISA Interact club, our collective effort to help humanity is what drives us.
A huge thank you to Mr Dennis our lead teacher who never falls short of encouragement, Elle Peut Naidim that made our trip possible and everyone that donated to our BISA Period Movement.
Article by Narindwa Matikanya
