Don’t Let School Shutdowns Block Access to Menstrual Hygiene Materials

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to see closed schools and economic strain across the world, many adolescent girls and young women in Africa are finding it more difficult to access menstrual products (sanitary pads, menstrual cups, and tampons). This reduced access to needed materials is a challenge that must be addressed quickly and creatively considering that menstrual health and hygiene remain essential parts of girls’ lives, even during a pandemic.

In order to exchange ideas and enlist others in this work, Child Support Initiative Nigeria (which I co-founded with my colleague Dinyambe Twanoh Nyatua when we were both Teach For Nigeria fellows) to help reduce the stigma around menstruation and increase girls’ access to menstrual products) and the Ugandan organization Nile Girls’ Forum co-hosted a virtual panel on May 4th. The panel, “Coping with Period Poverty during COVID-19,” featured two African social entrepreneurs with expertise in providing girls with access to menstrual products. The speakers, Wedam Rhoda of Days for Girls (Ghana) and Alfred Muli of Ruby Cup (Kenya) shared insights and experiences on how they are navigating, coping with, and fighting period poverty in their countries.

Both speakers grounded their comments in the realities facing rural girls in particular. As a result of school closures and restrictions on movement, many girls in rural communities no longer have access to menstrual products. Those of us who would be able to serve their needs by delivering products to schools have less access to reach them in their communities and know that they are suffering from this loss. With a lack of access to menstrual products, girls are resorting to unsanitary methods that put them at risk for poor health outcomes.

The solution is not simply to provide more pads, however. During the panel, both of our speakers stressed that disposable pads are not sustainable due to cost and other impacts, and that single-use products ignore more traditional methods that have been used by women in their communities over time. They heavily favored reusable and disposable products so that girls can have uninterrupted access to menstrual materials. Well-maintained menstrual cups can last up to 10 years and reusable pads can last up to three years, and girls can be educated about washing and sanitizing both.

Girls’ menstrual health needs do not disappear during pandemics, even when their access to school-based services is lost. Our hope is that supporters, organizations, and committed community members continue to seek ways to bring sustainable products to girls and women now and after the pandemic.