Lindiwe “Assessa” Skhosana knows too well how it feels like to miss school because of not being able to afford to buy sanitary pads, and the award-winning rapper is making sure no-one else suffers the same fate as her.
Skhosana is to many young girls in Emalahleni, Mpumalanga, an angel who ensures that they don’t miss school as a result of lack of sanitary pads.
She has started a drive to distribute 100 dignity packs to five primary schools. They contain 20 packs of sanitary pads, soap, a face cloth, toothpaste, a toothbrush and roll-ons.
“These are the girls who are experiencing changes in their bodies and it can be very stressful to be on periods and not have sanitary pads. This is the period when these girls should be taught about hygiene," Skhosana said. "I would love to do this on a monthly basis but unfortunately I do everything with the little that I have. I am working on getting a sponsor so that we can deliver every month.”
Even though the government scrapped the 15% value-added tax on menstrual products in 2019 to make sanitary pads more affordable, for many families this is still a struggle.
Research conducted by Stellenbosch University revealed that an estimated 30% of girls in SA do not attend school while they are menstruating because they cannot afford sanitary products. This can set girls behind their male peers in classes and therefore deprive them of equal opportunities.
Skhosana, who is currently signed with Cloud 9ne Entertainment, said the situation became worse for some families who had lost jobs as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown.
“When I was young at home they could not afford to buy me sanitary pads; as a result sometimes I would miss school or I would have to use socks as sanitary pads. I wouldn’t wish any learner to be left behind and I am currently working with 500 grade 7 pupils from different primary schools in my area. These are the girls who are facing changes in their bodies and need our support,” she said.
Even though the lockdown has brought difficulties for many artists as they do not get bookings, Skhosana said she was happy to share the little she has with her community.
“The pandemic has affected us a lot but we have to come up with ways of survival instead of complaining, which is why I decided to do my own shows, Friday freestyles.
"I also recently released a single titled Quantum which pays homage to taxi drivers. People always think that taxi drivers are aggressive but I want people to know these are people who are working hard for their families,” she said.
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