CHESHIRE, England — Water access issues in Malawi impact quality of life and are most prominent in rural areas. “Water and poverty are inextricably linked,” the Asian Development Bank says, highlighting that “Water is a critical resource for the poor and plays a key role in many aspects of their livelihoods.” UNICEF reported in 2022 that in urban areas in Malawi, the availability of improved drinking water sources stands at 87% in comparison to rural areas at 63%. According to Pump Aid’s research, currently, 40% of water points do not function “at any one time” — a warning of what could inevitably happen to Malawi’s remaining clean water sources should permanent solutions not arrive quickly. No water points also mean a long trek for water collection, a burden that typically falls on women and girls. A lack of access to water and sanitation also impacts the lives of menstruating females. In an interview with The Borgen Project, water rights organization Pump Aid provides insight into its efforts to address the water access issues in Malawi that contribute to period poverty in the country.
The Connection
The connection between water access issues in Malawi and period poverty is direct — efficient and reliable washing facilities are integral to proper menstrual hygiene and management. In a country where about 70% of the population lived in extreme poverty in 2019, surviving on $2.15 per day, according to the World Bank, period poverty is not uncommon. The gap between rural and urban areas is just as evident in period poverty as in water. Malawi’s Menstrual Health Country Snapshot 2022 indicates that 45.8% of females in urban areas had access to sanitary pads compared to 24.8% in rural areas. When the only clean water source is miles from home, a journey that is typically made on foot, maintaining proper menstrual hygiene is out of reach for females in rural areas of Malawi. Weak Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) in schools is a serious problem in Malawi and contributes to girls foregoing attendance entirely during their menstrual cycles.
The Collective
The stigma and shame surrounding period poverty create a barrier to solutions, but period poverty is everyone’s problem. In 2021, Days for Girls, noted “a 14-fold decrease” in school attendance in Mangochi District once girls started menstruating — the number of girls in school reduced from more than 11,000 to just 700. In 2022, the Menstrual Health Country Snapshot cited a survey of 717 female students, where 32% of menstruating females reported skipping a school day at least once during their last menstrual cycle, “with an average length of absence of 2.8 days.”
Pump Aid spoke with The Borgen Project about water access issues in Malawi and how it contributes to period poverty. Pump Aid describes the “inability to conveniently access clean water during menstruation” as being “detrimental to [women and girls’]educational and economic potential,” an impact that “prevents Malawi from developing a path out of poverty.” A water rights organization founded in 1998, Pump Aid is based in the U.K. and Malawi and is committed to ending water poverty in Malawi by 2030.
Outside of water access issues in Malawi, the lack of education surrounding menstruation poses a serious threat to school attendance due to resulting fear and shame. The Menstrual Health Country Snapshot says 82% of girls have no insight into menstruation before they begin menstruating. Due to cultural stigma and taboos, during menstruation, women are not to speak to male figures (including family members), nor pass behind their backs. Young girls report feeling “scared, shocked, embarrassed, disgusted [and]upset” during their menstruation period. Some initiation rites in rural areas involve locking menstruating females in a room for about a week during their first menses. The stigma surrounding menstruation in Malawi contributes to period poverty by creating fear that could resolve through efficient education.
The Answer
Fortunately, many individuals and organizations are fighting for resolutions to the water access issue in Malawi. The organization, Days for Girls, focuses a lot of its aid on schools — fighting stigma, providing accurate menstrual education and supplying kits. Days for Girls distributed almost 46,000 washable pads to girls in Malawi over a seven-year period.
Peter Mdalasini, the founder of the 10+ Her Period Her Pride Project, tells International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) that reusable sanitary pads are the solution to countering financial barriers. Created with this in mind, the menstrual cup, made of silicone or rubber, collects fluid rather than absorbing it and girls can wash and reuse it.
Water and Environmental Sanitation Network communications officer, Gloria Nyirenda, supports the worldwide fight to remove tax, telling IPPF that “materials should be provided free of charge and placed in public restrooms and institutions.” In 2022, Malawi removed VAT on imported sanitary pads. While this was a step in the right direction, VAT on locally manufactured pads remained at 16.5%.
Talking with The Borgen Project on the matter, Pump Aid believes answers to period poverty “cannot realize their full potential without reliable access to clean, inclusive water.” In response to the unreliability of the water pumps in Malawi, Pump Aid’s goal is to “ensure water keeps flowing” and its plan to do this revolves around training locals to become efficient pump mechanics. Already, this method has taken “pump functionality rates from 60% to [more than]95%,” Pump Aid says. This ensures that females will not have to trek further than 500 meters from their homes to collect clean water and enables them to easily maintain proper hygiene during their menstrual cycles.
Looking Ahead
Water access issues in Malawi have a wide-ranging effect on the population, heavily impacting women and girls, in particular, especially during their menstrual cycles. The fight against water poverty and period poverty is one fought together and, fortunately, organizations like Pump Aid are determined to continue the fight until water access in Malawi ceases to be an issue.
Pump Aid believes, “With a reliable supply of water, we can be confident that all other activities will be a success.”
– Jennifer Boxall
Photo: Flickr