Menstrual Health Kits - 5 Rural Schools in Murewa

by Rozaria Memorial Trust

Project Report | Sep 26, 2016
Menstrual Health is Public Health And Girls Rights

By Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda | Chief Executive

There was some giggling in the corner among the younger girls,and serious deep silence on the other side where the older girls huddled together.The team from the Trust,led by Colleta Zinyama our Programme Officer was visiting the girls for the regular dialogues and the quarterly distribution of the sanitary pads this August,just before schools closed.

The younger girls most of whom were yet to have their periods or some had just started were excited,anxious and unsure.They wanted the discussion about the changes in their bodies and to have a safe sapce to discuss the intimate and confidential issues.They simply wanted to see the demonstration on how you wereto use and dispose a pad.

On the other end,the older girls who were serious had deeper issues for discussions.Some had skipped playing in the netball tournament for the school because how dare she play without a pad and what if the tissue dropped.The other girl told the story of how her mother had only a dollar that week which sha had to pay for grinding their meal and therefore had no money to buy sanitary pads for her daughter.The form 3 girl had to think of what to use during her days,a rag,newspaper or what?

Issues of menstrual health remain critical for girls and women in general.A sanitary pad is a commodity so essential but yet out of reach for majority of girls in rural communities.Rozaria Memorial Trust has been working with girls at Hurungwe,Chipinda,Chemapango,Kambarami and Hurungwe secondary schools,sharing information on menstrual health.these have oppoortunities for the girls to discuss issues of self esteem and confidence,sexual and reproductive health,menstrual hygiene,social and cultural taboos among othe issues.Rozaria Memorial Trust distributed 3000 pads,which is 300 packs with 10 piece through the Rozaria Girls Clubs,The reproductive implications of starting menstruation were also clarified emphasizing the importance of hygiene.The following were some of the issues that were raised by girls;

Majority of girls could not afford sanitary kits and resorted to using different types of cloth which is generally not hygienic.Such cloth has a potential harbor of microorganisms which cause infections.They also have problems with disposal of such cloth.
Issues related to growth,development and menstruation for girls are not openly talked about especially at homes.The lack of open communication sadly this poses problems since they have to ask for money for the hygiene kits from the same parents,relatives they stay with
Disposal of used pads reamins a challenge especially in schools where they have water systems toilets and not pit latrines.The school has no bins for disposing used sanitary towels.
some girls informed that they did not know about the pads and most first timers were not to be familiar about how to use them.

With the reach in the five schools,Rozaria MemorialTrust will be reaching soon the goal of reaching 500 girls with menstrual hygiene kits and more than 2000 girls with menstrual health information and other related Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights issues,such as sexually transmitted diseases and unplanned pregnancies.

We are grateful taht with your continued support we have travel a thousand miles in achieving the target.It is clear to us that menstrual health is a public health issue.It is a right for every girl to have access to full and comprehensive information including age appropriate cpmrehensive sexuality education and the appropriate health services and commodities.Such a goal can only be achieved with your financial and moral support as well aspartnerships with health service providers,teachers,parents,communities and other leaders.

Your continued support and gifts gives us the courage and possibilities to advance this work and reach to more girls.We are not implicating in communities in Murewa,but are also influencing public awareness and advocacyu for the rest of Zimbabwe.

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Jun 28, 2016
Menstrual Hygiene Kits Bringing Comfort to Girls

By Kudakwashe Dizha | Coordinator

To Our Dear Partners

Through your generous support, we have managed to procure a three months supply of sanitary wear for 100 Orphans and Vulnerable Girls from Rozaria Girls Clubs (RGCs). The lists of the girls who are going to benefit from the sanitary supplies have been compiled with the support of Rozaria Girls Clubs school mentors. The targeted are rural girls who are orphaned and those that live on the extreme edges of poverty where by their guardians hardly afford to buy them sanitary ware.

The supply will cater for the sanitary needs of girls for the period running July to September 2016. The girls are from the following Secondary Schools; Magaya, Hurungwe, Kambarami, Chemapango and Chipinda Secondary School. Each school is having 20 beneficiaries. The girls mentor of Kambarami Secondary RGC had this to say during the selection of the benefiting girls "thank you for coming up with this initiative, it will go a long way in improving the menstrual hygiene of the girls. Every day i get stories of girls who are finding it difficult to get decent sanitary ware and they are ending up using unhygienic material such as cloths and newspapers".

In April, we managed to reach out to girls at Hurungwe Secondary School with information of sexual and reproductive health including how they can take care of themselves during their menses for their own comfort and that of their peers. In addition, we encouraged them to have a responsible behaviour to protect themselves from pregancies and sexually transimitted diseases that include HIV and AIDS.

With your continued support we anticipate to reach out to more vulnerable and deserving girls. We intend to gradually increase the number to 300 girls by October and 500 girls by year end. This will contribute in building a safer menstrual health life for the rural girls in Murewa District, helping to boost their confidence and self-esteem both home and at school.

You can reach us directly at rozaria@africaonline.co.zw cc rozariamemorialtrust@hotmail.com. Thank you for being there for orphans and vulnerable girls, their menstrual health will never be the same again.

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Mar 21, 2016
Menstrual Health The Right of Every Girl

By Kudakwashe Dizha | Programmes Coordinator

Dear Rozaria Memorial Trust Partner

Adolescents stage brings a major whole some change to the Sexual and Reproductive Health for girls, with them starting to experience their menses. This chanje of nature bring with its own challenges to the rural girls who are hardly able to access proper sanitary wear and menstrual hygiene information because of the taboos that are associated with the subject. In light of this and the experiences of working with girls through Rozaria Girls Clubs, we started a project in December 2015 titled "Menstrual Hygiene Kits-5 Rural Schools in Murewa."

Through you generous support we have managd to raise a about $350 to date. With this amount, we are going to procure a quartely supply for the 100 Orphans and other Vulnerable Girls girls with each girl getting three packs which will be able take them through for the whole of School Term 2. The girls will be selected from five Secondary Schools that are Magaya, Hurungwe, Kambarami, Chemapango and Chipinda Secondary School.Each school will have 20 beneficiaries for a start and it is anticipated the number will be gradually increased towards the target of 500 girls if more financial resources are secured.

In the period running from January to March 2016, through the school based Rozaria Girls Clubs Mentors about 600 girls were reached with menstrual hygiene educational information. The focus has been mainly to the form ones (1) who are starting to experience their periods so the need for them to appreciate more of the menstrual devevelopments in their bodies and the hygiene which they need to practise for their own comfort and of their peers at school. In addition, they are encouraged to have a responsible behaviour sexually as the menses signifies the beginning of the capacity of girls system to get pregnancy.

We look into the future with a lot of optisism that we are going to reach our goal by the year end of 2016 of supporting 500 girls with a monthly menstrual hygiene kits and to reach more than 2000 girls with menstrual helth information and other related Sexual and Reproductive Health issues that include unwanted pregnancies and Sexual Transmitted diseases.

Your continued support and referrals is important as we travel together in this journey. With your support the girls will have a safe menstrual health that builds their confidence and self esteem at school, improve in school perfomance and school attendance and it ensures the girls are saved from using unhygienic products that include cloth and newspapers in the rural communitities.

Yours In-Partnership

Kudakwashe Dizha

Coordinator

Rozaria Memorial Trust

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