Womens Lifestyle

Always Empowering South African Girls by Keeping Them Confident and Educated

On 7 August 2017, Always, the leader in global feminine care, visited the Itirele-Zenzele School in Diepsloot to provide sanitary pads to girls who are going through puberty, as part of their Always Keeping Girls in School (AKGIS) initiative. “A proper education can provide the necessary confidence and independence girls need to achieve their dreams,” says Jeanne du Plessis, Procter & Gamble South Africa spokesperson.

The AKGIS initiative empowers girls through essential puberty education, motivation, access to educational resources and donations of Always sanitary pads so that they don’t have to miss school and they can be confident about themselves and their futures.

A new survey, commissioned by Always, indicated that 59% of South African teen girls wish they had been better prepared for puberty. That is why Always provides puberty education to disadvantaged schools in South Africa as it plays an important role in providing young girls with the confidence they need to stand up for their dreams.

To date, Always has donated in excess of 8 million pads to South African teen girls.

#LikeAGirl Campaign

 In conjunction with the AKGIS initiative, Always brought their award-winning #LikeAGirl campaign to South Africa to further help girls fulfil their dreams. The campaign aims to give South African girls the confidence they need by taking a stand and turn “Like a Girl” into a phrase that represents the strength, talent, character and downright amazingness of every girl.

“Confidence plays an integral part in the development of young people, especially teen girls. The lack of confidence can significantly hamper their growth and lead to them not being able realise their potential. I am proud of the Always commitment to inspire girls to grow up to be confident women and stand up for their dreams,” explains Du Plessis.

For South African teen girls, puberty and having their first period marks a low moment in their confidence. On top of a troublesome phase of puberty and having your first period, harmful words can significantly contribute to a drop in confidence leading to a difficulty to focus on achieving their dreams.

To give girls their confidence back, Always urges girls and women from all over South Africa to join the movement and share what they proudly do #LikeAGirl. Tweet, take a picture, shoot a video or send a message to show young girls that doing things #LikeAGirl should never be used as an insult – but rather an expression that means being strong, talented and downright amazing.

 

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