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Sanitary pads ,Important yet hard to Access.
| by angela | Tuesday, August 4th |  |
Some months ago a discussion started Kenya about girls not being able to attend school during their period; a common problem in many parts of the developing world. Disposable pads are very expensive and alternatives don't seem to exist for most girls. They often just stay home for the 5-10 days per month that they have they period, rather than be embarrassed. This cuts heavily into their education.
From these discussions a number of options came up:
Sanitary pads could be shipped - but that costs way too much money and what happens when the pads are no longer shipped? The girls are back to square one.
Sanitary supplies could be purchased locally with funds from NGOs or donors - but that requires funds on a monthly basis for an indefinite amount of time. Not necessarily sustainable.
The third option was cloth, reusable sanitary pads. I hadn't heard of these before. They are just like disposable ones in shape and look. They snap or button around the underwear and the absorbency is increased or decreased by adding or removing 'liners.'
After some discussion in the community, they decided to give it a try, volunteers found patterns that could be made from hand.They were easy to sew with very basic skills and no machine. It didn't look pretty, but with practice I'm sure I could get better. :-)
Deanna Duke of Goods 4 Girls, based in Seattle, Washington helped out and rounded up kits from individuals and manufacturers. A total of 70 kits (which included 3-5 liners/pads, a carrying bag and instructions) were gathered.
The girls and teachers reported that they are very happy with the sanitary pads as it saves them the monthly expense. They said the pads do effectively manage their flow, but they could use more liners for the heavier days. There were some cases of leaking, but we are not sure if this is due to improper use, wearing for too long, or from not having enough liners for those heavy days. Proper cleaning was a bit of a concern as well. Not sure if this is due to lack of access to clean water or due to a lack of knowledge on how to clean or care for the pad. It should be noted that there is an underlying assumption that clean water be available to clean the pads.
I am awaiting more feed back on the use of reusable sanitary pads , how viable is the project it terms of its pros and cones.
Let's share.
Ajer ner blogi yajez 547 handi
Ajer ner blogi yajez 547 handi :)
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Bad and worse options
While the option of having re-usable pads may seem like a good idea, i tend to agree with Sophie that they may be a big problem when it comes to hygiene.
The problem really comes up when it comes to drying the pads. Many of the girls who use re-usable sanitary towels are those who can not afford the 100/- or so per month for the disposable kind. A lot of them also live in areas that are very crowded or congested - hanging lines are usually a problem. The girls then resort to hanging the pads under the bed or some place inside the house to avoid the embarrasment of hanging the pad outside - where it is public. As a result, the pad doesn't dry out well...and becomes smelly and home to a whole host of bacteria.
Add to this the fact that the pad hasn't been washed properly due to an inadequate supply of water and its one sorry state of affairs.
I'm not sure how this challenge can be addressed, but when it comes to the disposable kind, is it possible to lobby some of the NGO's/CBO's to set up some kind of pad production centre - I think that there is one of this kind somewhere in Bangladesh. I'm not sure how viable this is but it could be a start.
WE CAN DO SOMETHING NO MATTER HOW SMALL
I was thinking about it the other day. I think we as women should stop waiting for the government and do something ourselves. We all know how this government is. They havent even dealt with the issue of IDP's and now hundreds of people are dying of hunger. I'm not working but if I was even deciding that I will buy for one or afew girls packets of pads every month would make a small difference. Let's not wait till we have all the funds or all the money in the world to help all the girls. Let's start small. Let's use what we've got. Even helping one girl means that one more girl doesnt have to worry during her periods. Most women in this network are working or know people who can help. If every person in this network bought just one packet of pads, how many girls can we help? If we invited our relatives and friends to all contribute a packet each, how many girls do you think we can help? Let's do something. Anything. We might not be able to help all the girls but we can start with afew. Helping afew no matter how small can make a big difference.
Bad and worse options
The issue of re-usable pads really is a thorn in the flesh for me. For one I appreciate that some girls can not afford sanitary towels every month, in which case like Nicole has pointed they can not afford soap, water etc for the same so in other words it is really a bad option. Thinking of this, how does one get to keep washing soiled pads!!!!!!!!! I would doubt this does good to their self esteem of the girls. How does one ensure that apart from being clean it is also hygienic hence safe for the girls??
The girls who are too poor to afford sanitary towels are also too poor to afford soap and even so not be able to buy disinfectant. Getting cheap costs for pads and providing pads for girls in schools is as part of inititiatives to keep children in school ( feeding program, free tuition are the others) really the one and ony option I can see. The government made the statement of giving pads to girls in schools with the free primary education but this was left to the prerogative of the head teachers, hence unless parents and other community members do the advocacy to these head teachers, they will not priortise on the pads issue.The funds are already meagre so the girls interests get lost in betwen.
There is also need to see how poor girls can comfortbaly use other cheaper options like cotton wool which is cheaper but definately clumsy to use....not sure how but at least its hygienic...ohhh God help girls!!
I know for sure I can afford two packets of pads for some girl somewhere every month..this would be a great place to start!! The rotary club is having a project on raising pads for girls. Meanwhile after the last parliament all seem to have gone quiet on the issue of pads and we are now noticing a rise in cost of pads in Kenya....have u noticed? Is this problem only in Kenya or how do other countries handle this?
Will we be safe or sorry
I must admit I was excited by the fact that there was actiually a way to ensure that girls have access to sanitary towels throughout the year. I saw it as an opportunity to ensure that girls are able to stay in school and also play sports without fear of messing up or embarasing themselves infront of thier peers. All that they will have to do is learn to take good care of the re usable pads by cleaning them well and changing them in good time.
I sat back again and thought about how often they will have to wash the soiled pads and how much water and soap they would require. Many of the slum areas within Nairobi do not have flowing tap water. The constituents have to buy water for consumtion every day. It is also not garanteed that the water will be clean. This is to say that te girls may not have access to enough water and soap to properly clean their pads. In the process of requesting their already strained parents or caregivers to buy them enough water to do so may in turn cause conflict. This could lead the girls to using not-so-clean pads leaving them vulnerable to infections and low self esteem.
The government had at some point promised to provide free sanitary towels to girls to ensure they remain in school and have an equal opportunity at life. So where are these sanitary towels...how can we access them for the girls in the communities in which we work?
I would love to hear ideas from other young women on how we can better improve the use of re-usable sanitary towels or how we can ensure that MOST if not all girls have sanitary towels during their period.
Thanks Angela!