Access to Sanitary Wear for 1000 Girls in Matobo

HOCIC has continued work with adolescent girls in Matobo district. HOCIC under the Securing Rights Program has formed ten Sista2Sista clubs. These clubs provide young women and adolescent girls with safe places where they are able to come together to learn skills and techniques to assist the in overcoming various challenges they face.

During the quarter under review the Access to Sanitary Wear for 1000 girls in Matobo has worked in partnership with the Securing Rights Program conducting menstrual hygiene and health trainings and life skills trainings with the Sista2Sista clubs. The main objective of these trainings is to ensure that the girls practise good hygiene not only during their menstruation but everyday of their lives. The trainings also aim to demystify myths and other age-old traditions that the girls and young women are taught with pose health hazards to the girls. For example, girls are taught that in order to be able to sexually satisfy a man they should stuff herbs and other materials in their vaginas. These age-old traditions may cause serious challenges such as cervical cancer.

The Program Assistant has also monitored the girls who were trained on how to make reusable sanitary pads and have been using them. The girls still state that the pads are a sustainable solution that has also reduced their monthly costs of living. However, the girls may need new reusable sanitary pads by June as the ones they have are starting to get old. The Program envisions to raise funds to conduct refresher trainings and provide the girls with materials to make more reusable pads before the beginning to June 2020.

The Access to Sanitary Wear for 1000 girls continues to face challenges in raising funds and receiving funds disbursed from GlobalGiving.