Global Menstrual Hygiene Day

Dr. Rifai of WAJAMAMA teaching about the reusable pads.

Dr. Rifai of WAJAMAMA distributing the reusable pads.

At a global level, over 500 million women and girls lack the facilities they need to maintain their  menstrual health and hygiene (World Bank, 2018). Many do not have access to menstrual products, safe and hygienic places to use them, miss school due to menstruation, and experience shame and stigma as a result of their period. Period poverty is a lack of access to menstrual products due to financial constraints, which is often accompanied by a lack of adequate education and sanitary facilities. Every year, Global Menstrual Hygiene Day takes place on May 28th. This annual global event focuses on raising awareness about period poverty, breaking the stigmas surrounding menstruation, and educating the public on proper menstrual hygiene management (MHM). The goal of this initiative is that by 2030, no woman is held back by her period.

At WAJAMAMA we are committed to fighting period poverty here in Zanzibar through MHM education and distribution of reusable sanitary pads. Our Dada Collective program is a curriculum centered around empowering young girls with knowledge about menstrual health and hygiene, nutrition, and exercise. Through this program we visited the Kizimkazi Secondary School to mark Global Menstrual Hygiene Day. Through the financial support of the Rotary Club of Zanzibar, we were able to distribute 150 reusable sanitary pads to girls ages 12-16.

We began the session with a workshop on MHM. We educated the girls on how to manage their periods safely and hygienically and how to understand their own menstrual cycle through the creation of a calendar. We ended the session by handing out free reusable pads and teaching the girls how to wear, clean, and store them hygienically. The majority of the girls were previously using cloth as a substitute for sanitary pads, for many are unable to afford disposable pads. These reusable sanitary pads will provide these girls with a safer and reliable method of managing their periods, thereby helping to close the period poverty gap.

If you would like to support girls in Zanzibar, a donation of $10 will provide reusable pads to a girl for six months thereby helping her stay healthy and to stay in school. Click here to donate.

Written & published by Sarah Conant, WM Intern

Photos taken by Sarah Conant, WM Intern