Philanthropist, entrepreneur and globe leader,Shamila Ramjawan has been recognised as a great humanitarian for her efforts to promote menstrual health and hygiene. She has received an honorary doctorate from the Global International Alliance (GIA) for all her humanitarian work across the globe is heart-warming.
GIA is an organisation that works with the United Nations Entity for Gender and the qualifications are processed by Stanford International University in Stanford, California.”This award means a lot to me as it reiterates contributions I have made for women and girl children. It’s a lifetime achievement emphasising the appreciation shown by people from across the globe for my contribution to humanity,” said Ramjawan.
She said that the honorary doctorate will provide a networking platform for her to grow internationally. Ramjawan noted that the doctorate will also help her partner with organisations that are instrumental in her philanthropic and humanitarian work. “We are here to serve our communities through our initiatives,” she added.
In 2016, Ramjawan who lecturers at Unisa, launched PrincessD Menstrual Cup which is cost-effective, eco-friendly and hygienic. Currently, the product is available in over 20 countries, pharmacies, and health and wellness centres. She has changed the lives of thousands of schoolgirls with her ‘Keeping girls in school’ project. The cups are funded by corporates and to date have been donated to schoolgirls in over 220 schools across South Africa.
“I believe that this is so needed in society because girls and women are overlooked when it comes to menstruation. Having worked with communities for decades, I realised that there was a need to research the menstrual cup because impoverished girls miss school for five to seven days a month during menstruation,” said Ramjawan, who possesses an MBA degree from the Unisa Graduate School of Business Leadership (SBL) and is now a MANCOSA doctoral candidate, researching menstrual hygiene management.
The title of her study is ‘Improvement of menstrual hygiene management (MHM) for intellectually disabled adolescents in South Africa’.She said that this topic was close to her heart and will be the first in Africa and she looks forward to completing it next year. Among her various awards and initiatives, Ramjawan is also a ‘Play Your Part’ ambassador for Brand South Africa and is also the founder of Famram Foundation, which seeks to empower and uplift communities globally, especially those in impoverished rural areas.
Moreover, she also has a new chat show called Red Corner Chat, where she empowers people to share their journeys and stories. The project was launched on the 9th of August 2020. She said: “To date, I have interviewed over 60 men and women from different countries. The chats are available on Facebook and YouTube.”
