Skills, not handouts, at heart of poverty campaign
A community workshop in Baboon City has highlighted the importance of teaching practical skills to help people overcome poverty and promote dignity. The End Period Poverty Foundation, led by Shaun Gariseb and his team, hosted an upcycling workshop on Saturday in Baboon City, an informal settlement in Pioneers Park, where community members were taught how to reuse materials to make reusable sanitary pads.
The initiative aims to equip residents with practical skills they can continue using, rather than relying solely on donations of food, clothing and sanitary products. Gariseb said while providing basic necessities was important, sustainable change required communities to be given the knowledge and skills to support themselves. “We don't just hand out sanitary pads; we teach communities to make them,” he said.
The workshop also focused on educating boys about menstruation and encouraging children to understand and accept menstruation as a normal part of life. Gariseb said the team was encouraged by the community's participation, particularly the number of men who showed interest in learning about menstrual health and hygiene.
He thanked everyone who supported the initiative and said the foundation wanted to help people live with dignity by making better use of resources available to them. “It's not sustainable to only bring food parcels, because the need is always greater than what we can carry,” he said.
The foundation's approach seeks to combine immediate support with practical education, helping communities develop skills that can have a lasting impact beyond a single donation.
