City of Windhoek Councillor Fransina Kahungu says education remains one of the most effective ways to overcome poverty, urging young people not to let their circumstances define their future.
She was speaking at the Pulakena Ewi Lyomuwa Choir's Sanitary Pad Drive held at the Windhoek, Mix Informal Settlement on Sunday.
Councillor Kahungu reminded parents, guardians, community leaders and young people that education begins at home before it happens at school.
"Parents cannot do it alone; teachers cannot do it alone; churches cannot do it alone; government cannot do it alone; community leaders cannot do it alone. It takes all of us working together to raise a generation that is educated, disciplined, responsible and God-fearing. If we work together, we can strengthen families; we can reduce substance abuse together; we can promote education together; we can restore hope."
The Pulakena Ewi Lyomuwa Choir came up with the initiative of distributing sanitary pads to more than 200 girls and women in the Mix Settlement.
A member of the choir, Enos Namhinda, noted that many women in the community face challenges in accessing basic menstrual hygiene products, which can affect their confidence, health and even school attendance for those in school.
"The Pulakena Ewi Lyomuwa choir, together with its friends, was guided by the words of love so that whatever we do, we do it guided by love. Therefore, what we will be doing here, we must be guided by love."
Community members of Mix Settlement expressed their gratitude.
"You see, sometimes the young ladies don't have money to buy these things, and I say, 'Thank you very much for this."
"We are very happy, and what they did is a big thing, especially for the women and girls that are unemployed and those in school, and my encouragement to them is that they shouldn't end here but they should continue assisting, as this is a good thing; it's really helpful to unemployed people and school children."
The donation included two packs of sanitary pads and soap as a way to ensure that women and girls manage their menstrual health with dignity.