Kamogelo Olaitan
Girls in rural Zimbabwe have resorted to using cow dung and newspapers in place of sanitary pads.
They select the soft parts of the dung, mould it and leave it to dry before they use it for that time of the month.
Sanitary towels cost as much as US$2, about R34, which is beyond reach of most families.
Living on less than a dollar a day, families that live in conditions of extreme poverty are often forced to choose between buying their feminine hygiene products and buying food.
Constance Dimingo from rural Domboshava is one of the many girls in her area who don’t have access to sanitary towels.
The 19-year-old who stays 30 kilometres from Harare, told AfricaNews that poverty has made the natural monthly cycle a period of shame for her and her two sisters.
“We last wore a pad before my mother died last year,” she said.
“Now, we have to use anything we can find, cow dung, leaves, newspapers, cloth to stop the blood from leaking. I wish my mother was still alive to buy me pads and medication for my menstrual pain,” she added.
Her visually impaired grandmother Vhene Gumedhe said: “Sanitary pads are a luxury I cannot afford for my girls.”
Explaining how the dung process works gogo Gumedhe said she takes the dung, moulds it and leaves it to dry so that it easily absorbs the blood.
She said the girls do not put the cow patties directly on the skin. “I wrap many clothes over it to avoid itching when placed on the underwear. Then I show them how to close their private parts to block the bleeding,” she said.
The used dung is buried in the ground.
This method, used by desperate girls, is not safe.
According to AfricaNews Theresa Nkhoma, Community Childcare Worker in the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare in Zimbabwe said the methods are breeding grounds for bacteria.
“The girls complain of itching and burning in the vagina. When examined, we encounter yeast infections, urogenital tract infections and early signs of cervical cancer due to insertion in the vaginal tract,” said Nkhoma.
“We are trying to get sewing machines for the in the villages so they can learn to make reusable pads.”
The Ministry of Women and Youth Affairs in Zimbabwe reports that 67% of girls miss school during menstruation because of a lack of access to sanitary products and clean sanitation facilities.
