Relief Supply to Women Refugees
The Inclusion of Menstrual Hygiene Supplies
As a woman, I found it embarrassing that I had not been concerned about the needs of women refugees in terms of menstrual supplies, from the beginning of my work with refugees. Usually, when I visited refugee locations, I requested separate meetings with the women. These meetings were most revealing compared with the general meetings we had with all refugees, in which mostly the men spoke. Women would talk about the basic needs such as food, water and general living conditions, while the men seemed to focus on material things such as money for cigarettes and purchase of radios.
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But the women never mentioned their need for menstrual supplies. I believe this was because in most traditional societies, that I had had to deal with, the subject of menstruation was not discussed openly. Until one day it hit home to me.
It was at the end of 1988 and I was on mission to Tanzania to evaluate the United Nations Refugee Agency’s (UNHCR) assistance to refugees in a number of locations in Tanzania.
I visited newly arrived urban refugees from Burundi in the Kigwa refugee settlement. Consistent with the Tanzanian Government policy at the time, all refugees were accommodated in settlements, and provided with the usual relief package, comprising materials for temporary construction of houses, bucket, blanket and other food and non-food items.
As usual, I met with women refugees, this time with a group of newly arrived women refugees from Bujumbura and asked them the same question I usually asked. “What are your most pressing needs?” A brave young woman put her hand up.
“Could we please be provided with sanitary towels?” she pleaded.
She went on to explain that women were not able to go out or perform any productive activities during their periods, because they did not have access to sanitary towels. They had no stop-gap measures, such as washable pieces of cloth because they had escaped their countries with barely the clothes on their backs.
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I thought that I needed to make a strong case for change, so on my return at my debriefing of all-male group of senior managers, I brought up the subject:
“We need to provide sanitary towels for women refugees in the relief package,” I dared to blurt out.
There was complete silence in the room and one could hear a pin drop.
I continued. “Women refugees who have fled with nothing or means of subsistence are having to face the indignity of not having access to sanitary products. As a woman, I believe that this is inhuman.”
I was with the Social Welfare Officer from Zimbabwe, a former refugee, who had also complained about this, but hesitated to raise this publicly with our all-male seniors at the office. My announcement gave her courage to elaborate further and she burst out in tears as she presented the case passionately.
The men got embarrassed. The Director for Africa was the first who spoke, but he could not dare to mention the words “sanitary towels”.
“Yes, let us look into providing…eh…eh these supplies,” gesturing with his hands.
At last the sanitary needs of women were recognized — what a breakthrough.
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However, I was recently told by women refugees that menstrual supplies are still not a feature of basic relief packages. I realize that, given the shortfall in the budgets for relief assistance, there is a risk that these items would be left out.
There is a reason for stronger advocacy to meet this basic need of women in relief situations.
