Groote Schuur head boy leads sanitary pad drive for Women’s Month

Seth Jacobs, head boy of Groote Schuur High School in Newlands, has marked his final year with a legacy project that left a lasting impact on learners beyond his own school.

The Grade 12 learner, who hails from Mitchells Plain and also plays first team rugby, launched a sanitary pad drive to support female learners at Voortrekker High School.

Although located in Kenilworth, the school serves learners from under-resourced communities, including Hanover Park, Manenberg, Khayelitsha, Philippi, Gugulethu and Nyanga.

With the backing of his principal, deputy principal and head of prefects, Seth selected Voortrekker High because it had competed against Groote Schuur in rugby.

“As a male learner, my objective was to normalise the conversation about periods and period poverty amongst my fellow male peers,” he said.

“When I first spoke about this topic in our school assembly last year, I started that narrative and appealed to the male learners to think about how periods affect the women in their lives. I wanted to bring the story ‘home’.”

Seth rallied support through social media, family, friends, fellow learners, educators and the wider community, inviting both monetary and in-kind donations.

His efforts paid off, with an impressive 2 960 sanitary pads collected in time for Women’s Month. The handover took place at Voortrekker High School on Wednesday, August 27.

The initiative was more than a donation drive - it carried a message of dignity, equality and education.

Seth said he hoped that the project would inspire others to continue the cycle of support.

“As I said in my speech, when I made the call to action, I truly hope that this gesture and drive inspire Voortrekker High to want to pay it forward.”

 The initiative, he said, was also about service.

“This project reignited my passion to serve others. As explained in Proverbs 3 verse 27, if you are in a position to do good, the question of whether you would like to do it or not is irrelevant. It then becomes one’s obligation. I believe in doing the right thing, not for the praise but because it is the right thing to do.”

He thanked those who made the drive possible, including Groote Schuur learners and educators, the Strandfontein Mets Softball Club, and those who helped with the handover.

“Without your support, kindness and generosity, this project would not have achieved the success and impact that it did,” he said.

Seth, who has previously volunteered with the Lions Clubs of Mitchells Plain and Tokai, hopes to continue serving in whichever way he can.

Looking ahead, he plans to study Mechanical Engineering, with Philosophy, Politics and Economics as a second choice. At a later stage, he also hopes to pursue Theology.