#4The War on Period Poverty

This week we celebrated World Toilet Day, a campaign advocating for safely managed sanitation around the world. Thus, I dedicate today’s blog to the importance of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities for young girls and women (YGAW), referring to Rwanda and Ethiopia throughout.

Have you ever imagined life without a toilet? Truth is, many of you probably have not and until recently, neither had I. Having a toilet is a privilege often taken for granted and for many people across Sub-Saharan Africa accessibility is a real problem. While 43% of people do not have access to basic water supply, 72% are deprived of basic sanitation. 

What is period poverty?

YGAW are disproportionately affected by the lack of access to basic WASH facilities. During menstruation, the concerns become increasingly visible; YGAW living in resource-poor countries in Africa, appropriate WASH facilities and sanitary products are completely absent or unaffordable, with limited disposal options. This inaccessibility is what defines period poverty. Such instances mean many YGAW are forced to improvise and use makeshift materials available in order to manage their menstrual bleeding. Examples include pieces of wool, newspaper, old clothes, and even leaves. In instances where YGAW are able to afford sanitary pads, they are often shared between one another, despite having already been used. These practices are not only uncomfortable, but they are unsanitary; they endanger the health of YGAW leading to health conditions such as urinary tract infections.   

Source: Menstrual pads made from pieces of cotton fabric

The crisis (starts) in the classroom

For schoolgirls, period poverty is even worse; it is a major impediment to their education. Many schools across Ethiopian and Rwandan provinces do not provide YGAW with necessary products to properly manage their periods. From sanitation facilities to sanitation products, both are absent, thus discouraging YGAW from pursuing an education. In Ethiopia and Rwanda, it can mean missing up to 5 days of school per month.

In schools without adequate WASH facilities, built-in showers and separate latrines, YGAW are unable to clean themselves after menstrual accidents nor manage their periods in ways that offer them privacy and dignity. The image below shows an example of a ‘toilet’ – if we can even call it that - provided by an Ethiopian school. These inadequacies not only affect the physical well-being of women but their mental well-being too. In settings where YGAW are called to write on classroom blackboards, they are often hesitant from fear of the shame and embarrassment they will feel if others see the blood stains on their clothes and such examples can ultimately lead to their permanent drop-out of school.

Source: School toilet in Ethiopia 

Leaving school early presents YGAW with further vulnerabilities, ones associated overwhelmingly with child marriage. In Ethiopia, it is understood by communities that a girl’s menarche marks her sexual maturity and thus her readiness for marriage, reproduction, and motherhood. However, for most schoolgirls, many still do not understand what their bodies are going through and are evidently not fit for marriage. A lack of WASH facilities therefore systematically disempowers YGAW as it ensures girls stay out of school, unable to acquire the skills necessary to break out of cycles of poverty.

Period stigma

In areas of Oromia and Amhara, social taboos and cultural restraints make managing menstruation even more challenging. It is collectively understood that menstrual cycles are impure and dirty. These taboos are often established by communities through day-to-day activities. Some communities, for example, do not allow women to collect water during menstruation and on the odd occasion that they do, women must provide it in separate containers, one for themselves and another for male relatives for it to be considered drinkable. 

An end to period poverty?

Source: A framework for supporting menstrual health and hygiene

If countries like Ethiopia and Rwanda are to provide equitable sanitation and hygiene for all, education for menstrual health must be made mandatory. Menstrual education can provide a window of opportunity to educate young girls and boys about the changes which are happening to their bodies, the reproductive system, and the dangers of sexually transmitted diseases. It can also provide an opportunity to start up conversations about child marriages, the risks associated and how to go about preventing them. These countries must also work towards implementing appropriate WASH infrastructures in which Rwanda’s Sustainable Health Enterprise (SHE) is a great example, providing women with affordable and environmentally friendly pads from banana fibres. The SHE projects also offers educational services, teaching women about their periods through the sale of sanitary goods by health workers.

Let girls learn

Periods are a normal part of life, and good menstrual hygiene is a fundamental component of YGAW's wellbeing.