With the price of sanitary pads beyond the reach of many rural girls, some Zimbabweans based in South Africa and Zimbabwe, have started a fundraising initiative to source sanitary wear for rural girls.
The initiative “Support The Girl Child,” kicked off early this year targeting schools in rural areas and orphanages in Harare to run for a year and roll over to other regions in the years to follow. According to the founder, Melody Musanhu, the donation of sanitary pads will be done in different schools in the second term and one orphanage in Harare around next month.
In addition to sourcing and distributing sanitary pads to the underprivileged girls in the remote areas and orphanages, the initiative also seeks to train girls on usage of sanitary towels, mentor girls in school about life and career growth, and appoint mentors for the programme and fit them into mentorship sessions.
Recent statistics by SNV Netherlands Development organization estimates that seven in 10 girls in rural primary schools that menstruate have no access to sanitary pads in Zimbabwe, a trend attributed primarily to the acute economic challenges the country is facing, which have left many families without sustainable income bases.
According to health experts, using things like rags, and leaves can result in thrush, urinary tract infections, cancer, among other diseases.
