SWANSEA, United Kingdom — Period poverty affects women and girls all over the globe, especially when it comes to having access to menstrual products. In Kenya, for instance, approximately 50% of girls do not have access to menstrual products and one in 10 girls say they miss school when menstruating due to lack of access to menstrual products.
Impact on Everyday Life
Period poverty has an impact on girls’ education and future. Missing so much school can encourage girls to drop out of education entirely which makes them more likely to fall pregnant or marry young – and as a result are more likely to stay in poverty than break free of it.
Period poverty can also have negative effects on a young girl’s physical and psychological health. A UNESCO report suggests that girls face a high level of disgust, teasing and stigma from their schoolmates, particularly boys. Such teasing can erode a young girl’s self-esteem and confidence.
Similarly, girls facing period poverty sometimes have to use dirty rags, leaves or the same soiled pad during their period and are at risk of developing toxic shock syndrome, a dangerous and sometimes life-threatening infection.
Days for Girls
Fortunately, the Days for Girls (DFG) charity offers women and girls across Africa a ray of hope. The charity distributes DFG kits: a drawstring bag containing a washable reusable cloth pad, a washcloth and plastic bags. The kit allows girls to carry both clean and used pads discreetly and ensures that girls can manage their period with dignity, meaning they do not have to miss out on education.
The organization uses cotton flannel to make cloth pads and one cloth pad can last for up to three years. As well as empowering girls to come out of period poverty, these cloth pads can economically empower women and girls too.
The charity founded an enterprise program to ensure that girls gain access to pads and menstrual education. Locally driven support is key to “drive sustainable and long-lasting change into communities,” the charity states.
The enterprise program allows local women to become enterprise leaders who are then in the position to advise and inform girls and women about periods whilst also earning an income of their own.
In Kenya, Alice Wambui-Mwangi serves as the local enterprise leader, supplying cloth pads, facemasks and menstrual education to women and girls in need.
Far-Reaching Work
Since the cloth pad is easy to make, Days for Girls also works across Africa to teach women and girls to sew a cloth pad. In Zimbabwe, Days for Girls ambassadors taught 52 individuals. Two people from this group spread this knowledge around 27 schools in their district and reached 8,000 girls. A further 50 girls were chosen from the 27 schools to be trained to create a cloth pad.
There is hope that if this pattern continues then every district in Zimbabwe will be served. If so more and more women and girls across Africa may be freed of period poverty, economically empowered or both.
– Chloe Jenkins
Photo: Wikimedia Commons