We believe that no girl should be prevented from pursuing her education by her period. The plight for Zimbabwe’s girls, as in other countries around the world, is that sanitary wear is simply not affordable, and without options to manage their monthly periods, the negative impacts on their education and health, their confidence and ability to participate are significant. Our eco-friendly, economical and reusable sanitary hygiene kits give girls the opportunity to regularly attend school and manage their menstruation with comfort and dignity.  

 THE NEED

With the cost of sanitary pads beyond the reach of many families, especially in the rural areas, women and girls suffer the monthly indignity of being sidelined from daily activities during their menstruation. Without options, women and girls have to rely on a combination of other ineffective and unsanitary methods such as tissues, rags, even cow dung; which can create serious health problems. The lack of access to sanitary wear severely impacts girls and women in many ways. Every day thousands of young rural girls miss significant days of school due to inadequate sanitary wear, and this leads to many girls dropping out of school completely.  This is an educational crisis for girls.

THE SOLUTION - Reusable and hygienic sanitary wear 

Jafuta has worked in collaboration with partners to develop a reusable sanitary pad that is eco-friendly, economical, and empowering. Especial thanks go to Julie Phippen of Sewportive Friends for freely sharing her designs, concept and suppliers with us. Jafuta purchases bulk quantities of the basic materials and with the assistance of female village volunteers, we roll out training workshops where women and girls will have the opportunity to sew their own individual sanitary wear pack as well as training community leaders as trainers to take this program into their own areas.  We also work with rural schools with setting up sewing clubs whereby the girl students will make their own sanitary hygiene pack. The pads are simple to use and wash, look and feel good, and typically should last up to 3 years. We also combine these sessions with information sharing and education on sexual and menstrual health, something that is not easily spoken about in rural communities. 

JOIN THE CHANGE

The scale of this issue has made it a hot topic in Zimbabwe right now, but what is needed urgently are practical and sustainable solutions. Jafuta Foundation is working on the ground, equipping and teaching all the girls and women in our area to make their own healthy, reusable sanitary wear. Your support would directly fund the procurement of raw materials, and training workshops in the community, leaving each girl with a sustainable long-term strategy to manage her menstruation. This change is desperately needed to uplift and empower our girl child and women.