Press Release
2nd March 2020
Three hundred school going girls from twelve (12) different schools in Pallisa district will be able to stay in school this term thanks to efforts by dfcu Bank employees who have contributed sanitary materials as part of the dfcu ‘Keep a Girl in School’ internal campaign. Over seventy-five (75) cartons of sanitary towels and a cash donation of UGX 3,250,000 towards the skilling program in the production of reusable sanitary materials were handed over through Child Heart Uganda a Non-Profit Organization in Pallisa District.
According to John Mangeni, the Executive Director Child Heart Uganda, the donation will go a long way in ensuring the girls can at least focus on their class work for the whole term without having to worry about how to manage their menstruation. “We thank the dfcu employees for reaching out to the less advantaged girls in Pallisa with the generous donation but more importantly for taking interest in the skilling program which ensures that we have sustainable solution to the menstrual material challenge they face,” Mangeni added.
The Keep a Girl in School campaign is premised on the belief that when girls stay in school and complete their studies, it positions them for more opportunities and possibilities for themselves, their families and ultimately their communities. Educating the girl child is considered pivotal to empowering women and ultimately empowering communities.
According to Rukh-Shana Namuyimba, Communications & Events Manager dfcu Bank, the objective of the internal campaign was to give staff an opportunity to get to get directly involved in a cause that re affirms the Banks brand promise of Making More Possible. “One of the ways to increase staff engagement particularly for employees with high levels of Employee Social Responsibility is to create opportunities for them to take part in CSI initiatives. The sense of purpose and meaning when aligned to a brand promise such as ours is quite profound,” Namuyimba adds.
In 2019, dfcu Bank, at a corporate level, entered a partnership with Uganda Red Cross Society (URCS) to collaborate on the implementation of the nationwide Keep a Girl in School Menstrual Health Management Initiative in line with the community development pillar of dfcu’s Corporate Social Investment Policy.
As part of the collaboration, dfcu Bank made a donation of sanitary also contributed towards the generation of the 5-year fundraising strategic plan which is the guiding framework document for the sourcing of funding and partners to enable the implementation of “Menstrual Hygiene Management”. The Nationwide campaign run by URCS in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES) was formally launched on Thursday 28th March 2019. The call to action for this campaign is for members of the public to donate UGX 15,000 to keep a girl in school for one Term.
