Experiencing period poverty in the rural areas
I started my period when I was 15 years old. I was a little bit old but I faced a lot of challenges because I was staying with my grandmother at rural areas.
I recall the day clearly. I was in class and the lesson was going on, I felt something was wrong because it started with a clot. I went to the toilet to check myself and I found blood stains on my underwear. I panicked. I could not tell anyone. I was afraid they would laugh at me. I had no cloth nor any sanitary wear, so I folded a newspaper and used it as my sanitary wear to prevent the blood from staining my skirt and went back to the class. I wished I could go back home because I was not comfortable, but I could not gather courage to talk to the teacher. I was quite the whole day.
When I got back home I could not tell my grandmother since she had never talked to me about menstruation. I just struggled in silence and devised my own means of going along. I could not get any sanitary wear, so I used pieces of cloths for a long time. When my sister noticed that I had started my period, she finally told my grandmother. I had high anticipation that she would talk to me about it and buy cotton for me. But she had no money and she never discussed with me how I would manage my period.
The first time I was taught about menstruation was at school. Our Head girl and the Senior Mistress held meetings with all the girls to talk about how we should present herself during menstruation. The Senior Mistress encouraged us to talk about menstruation with our friends because it was natural. However, the unfortunate party is that the boys were never taught about menstruation. Their response whenever they realised a girls was on her period ranged from isolating to bullying or jeering
In 2008 when I was doing my final year in high school, a Civil Society Organisation (CSO) based in Bulawayo came to our village to introduce Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights programmes. It came as a life-saver for me and other girls in our community.
During weekends, we went to learn about Sexual and Reproductive Health, Menstruation and Women’s rights. We were also given a pack of sanitary pads. To me it was my first time to use a sanitary pad in my life. The programme facilitators demonstrated to us how to put on and how to remove the pad. Our community appreciated the work of this organization because it helped to end menstrual poverty.
From my experience, I learnt that girls do not get enough support from their parents or guardians. They are not taught about menstruation and especially in rural areas we grew up knowing that it is a taboo to talk about menstruation around boys and if you seen carrying sanitary wear in public they could laugh at you.
Again from my experience, I understand that the struggle is real for young girls starting their menstrual cycles. I have committed myself to helping some young girls in our community. This year I plan to donate a pack of pads to some girls as a way of easing period poverty among young girls. I am also planning to join campaigns to promote menstrual health so that girls do not have to suffer period poverty in silence.
