The sad pad situation It is by now a well-known fact that our schoolgirls, especially in the rural areas, have a problem with the affordability of sanitary towels or “pads”. In spite of this, and in spite of the fact that the parliamentary standing committee on gender already took a decision to establish a small-scale factory in Rundu as far back as 2013, this has not materialised. The then minister of trade, Calle Schlettwien, our current finance minister even approved the venture in 2014. So, as with most other projects initiated in Namibia, everything is gung-ho and rearing to go, and then – sadly – everything grinds to a screeching halt when it reaches implementation stage. That is of course unless one of our very elite, honourable, luminary brothers or sisters cannot benefit from the enterprise, and here we are not talking about small change, we are talking about millions, perhaps even billions that have to be siphoned off along the way in baksheesh (bribery and corruption). No baksheesh, no business, the equation is simple. Even sadder – none of our elected female luminaries are prepared to discuss the matter in parliament! It is evidently too embarrassing; in the meantime, we are still facing the implementation problem. The pad story is really a sad story, and only a symptom of a far greater problem - lack of implementation. Instead of empowering women (and girls) to live normal, dignified lives as our future mothers and providing them with the most basic of necessities – sanitary pads – their duly elected representatives have not even given them the time of day to discuss it, they do not even want to afford our women the very basic courtesy of discussing the matter in a dignified and mature way, despite the fact that they are women themselves. How sad is that? Yet, when there is a big scheme involving millions and billions of dollars, then you will see people bending over backwards, circumventing rules, laws and regulations, whatever it takes, because following the blitzkrieg approvals, many pockets are lined along the way and rich and the newly rich get richer, and the poor get poorer.The sad pad situation It is by now a well-known fact that our schoolgirls, especially in the rural areas, have a problem with the affordability of sanitary towels or “pads”. In spite of this, and in spite of the fact that the parliamentary standing committee on gender already took a decision to establish a small-scale factory in Rundu as far back as 2013, this has not materialised. The then minister of trade, Calle Schlettwien, our current finance minister even approved the venture in 2014. So, as with most other projects initiated in Namibia, everything is gung-ho and rearing to go, and then – sadly – everything grinds to a screeching halt when it reaches implementation stage. That is of course unless one of our very elite, honourable, luminary brothers or sisters cannot benefit from the enterprise, and here we are not talking about small change, we are talking about millions, perhaps even billions that have to be siphoned off along the way in baksheesh (bribery and corruption). No baksheesh, no business, the equation is simple. Even sadder – none of our elected female luminaries are prepared to discuss the matter in parliament! It is evidently too embarrassing; in the meantime, we are still facing the implementation problem. The pad story is really a sad story, and only a symptom of a far greater problem - lack of implementation. Instead of empowering women (and girls) to live normal, dignified lives as our future mothers and providing them with the most basic of necessities – sanitary pads – their duly elected representatives have not even given them the time of day to discuss it, they do not even want to afford our women the very basic courtesy of discussing the matter in a dignified and mature way, despite the fact that they are women themselves. How sad is that? Yet, when there is a big scheme involving millions and billions of dollars, then you will see people bending over backwards, circumventing rules, laws and regulations, whatever it takes, because following the blitzkrieg approvals, many pockets are lined along the way and rich and the newly rich get richer, and the poor get poorer.