The Sunday News
Andile Tshuma, Sunday News Correspondent
Buhle Sibindi (17) last got a pack of sanitary pads in mid-March from her teacher at Mahlothova Secondary School in Umguza, Matabeleland North.
Schools abruptly closed for the Covid-19 lockdown and during the prolonged holiday, she has not had anyone to buy her sanitary pads for the two menstrual cycles she has gone through during the lockdown. Her third cycle is due in a few days.
Luckily, her teacher managed to give her five reusable pads which were made by one of the girls’ action clubs at the school with assistance from the fashion and fabrics lass. Unfortunately, she cannot have these pads all to herself as her mother also needs them, and so does her 13-year-old sister.
By luck, their menstrual cycles don’t coincide, so while it is not the best hygienic arrangement, they have to share the sanitary towels. Buhle is one of the many Zimbabwean girls who now cannot afford to buy sanitary wear, as the price of the product continues to skyrocket.
Even girls living in urban areas are struggling to access sanitary wear, a situation which has seen many turning to reusable sanitary towels. The reusable sanitary pads are a headache for girls in the city though, at a time when water is scarce following the introduction of a five-day water shedding programme.
Reusable pads need a lot of water and soap to be kept clean. The price of sanitary wear in the country has gone beyond the reach of many and a number of women and children have resorted to unorthodox ways of managing their periods.
This comes at a time when the world recently marked World Menstrual Hygiene Management Day which was commemorated on May 28. Most of the common sanitary pads brands in the country are imported and the closure of borders has resulted in the soaring of prices of the much needed commodity in the country.
A Sunday news crew observed that low priced sanitary pads were scarce and most shops have stocked expensive brands, which costs about $140 for a pack of 10, way beyond the reach of the ordinary woman.
Women who spoke to Sunday News said they could no longer afford to buy pads and had resorted to using random pieces of cloth or sewing cloth sanitary napkins. Most women are in informal employment and have lost their source of livelihoods due to the Covid-19 lockdown regulations, meaning that they now cannot afford to buy pads for themselves and their daughters.
Some of the most affected women are fresh produce vendors who were displaced due to the Covid-19 lockdown. Ms Esther Matshazi, a widow from Mzilikazi suburb, said she struggles to provide sanitary wear for herself and her two daughters after she lost her vending stall when the Bulawayo City Council implemented Covid-19 regulations to clean the city.
“I was a vendor at the market and we were told to vacate the area because of Covid-19. I have not yet been allocated a new selling point. I have three daughters and one son. Two of my daughters are in high school and need sanitary wear each month. I have not yet reached menopause so I still use pads. It’s very expensive.
“We can no longer buy pads. We now use old T-shirts, we cut them up and use them. It’s economic as we can wash the cloth and re-use it. However, it breaks my heart that my children have to use what I used as a young girl in the rural areas when I was growing up. I cannot afford to buy pads for all three of us,” she said.
Because menstruation is often shrouded in mystery leading to exclusion, neglect and shame, some women were not comfortable talking about sanitary wear to the news crew, a subject they felt was taboo and could not just be discussed with strangers.
Other women, especially in rural areas, have turned to unhygienic alternatives such as newspapers, rags, tissue paper and cow dung, among others, because they cannot afford sanitary pads or tampons.
Many young girls and women develop rashes, infections and sometimes life-long reproductive health issues because they are forced to improvise and cannot afford sanitary products.
Sexual reproductive health rights activists say the high cost of sanitary wear is infringing on women’s sexual reproductive health rights.
Legislator and renowned gender activist Ms Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga said the issue of access to sanitary wear should be dealt with as a human rights concern now more than ever during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“As the Covid-19 lockdown commenced, women could hardly travel to buy sanitary wear. There is no lockdown for periods. They do not miraculously disappear because there is Covid-19.
It is worrying that in the kind of packages being given out, sanitary wear is missing. None of the packages includes sanitary wear. No one seems to be thinking around menstrual health, however, it is affecting many women and girls out there,” she said.
Ms Misihairabwi-Mushonga said mainstreaming of menstrual health to all important dialogues is more necessary now than ever before as Covid-19 is affecting women in so many ways, chief of them being that they can no longer manage their periods with dignity.
Many organisations and individuals in Zimbabwe have called for free distribution of sanitary pads, similar to the condom style distribution, arguing that menstruation is a natural biological process while sex is a choice.
On average, a woman has her period running from three to seven days and the average woman menstruates from age 13 until age 51. That means the average woman endures 456 periods over 38 years.
Over 800 million women and girls menstruate every day, yet across the globe they face barriers to properly managing their periods. The social stigmas and taboos surrounding menstruation often prevent women and girls from attending work and school.
There are multiple health risks associated with the use of unhygienic products during menstruation.
Poor management of menstrual hygiene can lead to increased susceptibility to infections, bad odour of menstrual blood due to infrequent change of cloth, a painful period and discomfort.
The Covid-19 period has made access to sanitary wear more difficult for women as they are unable to engage in various economic activities that empower them to be able to have the financial resources to manage their menstrual health with dignity.
For most women, the menstrual cycle now brings stress as they have to provide sanitary wear for themselves and their daughters.
