{"id":1228,"date":"2026-09-09T11:42:11","date_gmt":"2026-09-09T11:42:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ecmessenger.co.za\/?p=1228"},"modified":"2026-09-09T11:45:07","modified_gmt":"2026-09-09T11:45:07","slug":"government-takes-sanitary-dignity-campaign-to-tambekile-school","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ecmessenger.co.za\/index.php\/2026\/09\/09\/government-takes-sanitary-dignity-campaign-to-tambekile-school\/","title":{"rendered":"Government Takes Sanitary Dignity Campaign to Tambekile School"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Emalahleni<\/div>\n
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The Eastern Cape Department of Social Development has intensified its efforts to promote menstrual health, dignity and social awareness through an Educational Awareness on Sanitary Dignity Programme held at Tambekile Senior Secondary School in Ward 03, Emalahleni Local Municipality.<\/div>\n
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The programme, led by MEC for Social Development, Honourable Bukiwe Fanta, brought together government departments, community stakeholders, learners and members of the community in a concerted effort to address challenges affecting young people, particularly girls.<\/div>\n
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Delivering the keynote address, MEC Fanta emphasised the importance of creating an environment where menstruation is understood as a natural biological process rather than a source of shame or embarrassment. She expressed concern about the stigma faced by girls when they are on their periods, including instances where boys ridicule them, leaving young women feeling ashamed and vulnerable.<\/div>\n
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The MEC called for greater compassion and consideration within families and communities, stressing the shared responsibility of both men and women in raising children. She warned that children who experience neglect, anger and unresolved emotional challenges can become vulnerable to negative behaviour, including bullying and other forms of social harm.<\/div>\n
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As part of the programme, more than 200 girls received sanitary towels, while other beneficiaries received school uniforms, food parcels, toiletries, school bags and blankets.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Welcoming attendees, Her Worship Mayor Councillor Nontombizanele Koni highlighted the important role played by the Emalahleni Intergovernmental Relations Forum, describing it as active and effective in ensuring that government programmes are delivered in a coordinated manner.<\/div>\n
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Mayor Koni noted that government departments and stakeholders increasingly work together to ensure that communities receive holistic support. She further outlined ongoing municipal interventions, including the construction of access roads in several wards and paving projects in villages.<\/div>\n
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The Department of Health also provided educational information on the menstrual cycle, explaining what girls can expect during menstruation and highlighting the support that parents, educators and community members should provide to girls during this important stage of their development.<\/div>\n
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The programme was delivered through a partnership involving the Eastern Cape Department of Social Development, Emalahleni Local Municipality, Department of Education, South African Social Security Agency (SASSA), Department of Health, Department of Home Affairs, South African Police Service (SAPS) and private-sector partners.<\/div>\n
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There were services on wheels that were offered by the Department of Home Affairs, Department of Health and Department of Social Development. The initiative was welcomed by community members, who expressed appreciation for the government\u2019s support.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Emalahleni The Eastern Cape Department of Social Development has intensified its efforts to promote menstrual<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1231,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1228","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ecmessenger.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1228","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ecmessenger.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ecmessenger.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecmessenger.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecmessenger.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1228"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ecmessenger.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1228\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1230,"href":"https:\/\/ecmessenger.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1228\/revisions\/1230"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecmessenger.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1231"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ecmessenger.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1228"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecmessenger.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1228"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecmessenger.co.za\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1228"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}