Masimba Makwembere
STAFF WRITER
SENATOR Anna Shiri, who represents persons with disabilities (PWDs) in the Senate, is pushing for the government to provide sanitary pads making machines to make life easy for the disadvantaged people and affordable pads.
This comes after Mimi`s Empowerment Centre requested that the government assist PWDs and marginalised communities with pad making machines to manufacture cheap sanitary wear locally.
Mimi’s Empowerment Centre is an enterprise founded in 2011 by Mercy Kamanura and targets the girl child, young women, youth, the marginalised and vulnerable to empower them through vocational training, entrepreneurship development and capacity building.
Speaking at a handover of sanitary pads to school girls and PWDs by Mimi`s Empowerment Centre in Mt Darwin North recently, Shiri said the request by Mimi`s Empowerment Centre and PWDs to have pads making machines would be relied to the relevant authorities.
“I applaud the work that Mimi`s Empowerment Centre is doing and recommend that it continues to do such good initiatives for people with disabilities and young women and girls.
“There is a need for people with disabilities to utilise the skills they have to make something out of their lives. Everyone is equal regardless of how they are. “Those that are not disabled should help uplift the lives of people with disabilities.
“Furthermore, Mimi`s Empowerment Centre should continue doing the wonderful work that it is doing. Kamanura`s request of having a pad making machine will be forward to higher authorities to help support people with disabilities,” she said.
Kamanura said providing a pad making machine would ensure that PWDs and girls would be able to manufacture their own sanity wear.
“There is a need for sustainability of projects that support the sexual and reproductive health of young women and girls and people with disabilities. Senator, there is a need for a pad making machine which will help sustain girls and young women as they will be making the pads on their own.
“Mimi`s Empowerment Centre has been moving in hard to reach areas and it launched a skills training at Bindura Main Prison moving with the mantra of leaving no one and no place behind.
“The essence of empowerment for young women, girls and people with disabilities is that they can be taught empowerment skills that will help them with their basic needs such as sanitary pads.
“If they cannot afford sanitary pads, how sad are their stories? Having a pad making machine for the young women, girls and people with disabilities is an advantage,” she said.
