Some young women in Lupane have appealed for sanitary wear to be made available for free to combat period poverty in the area.
This was revealed during a visit to the district under CITE’s project called We The Future which targets young women in rural Matabeleland.
Sanitary wear has remained inaccessible to most young women, especially in rural areas.
Speaking during an interview, Lindsey Muzamba said pads range between US$1 and US$2 in their local shops and most young girls struggle to buy them.
“Pads are a challenge as women have to buy them every month, they have to ensure that they have money to buy them. It’s not everyone who can afford sanitary pads. We wish that pads were given for free to us young people and women,” said Muzamba.
“I wish we can reach a point where sanitary wear is just given for free.”
She said some girls miss school when they are on their menstrual cycle.
“They stay at home for those particular days they are on their period and some are ridiculed by their male peers when they are on their cycle.”
Muzamba some girls often resort to unhealthy options like old pieces of clothes.
Surprise Dube also concurred that sanitary pads should be made available for free.
“Make them available for free rather than making condoms available for free because that is a natural phenomenon that happens in women’s bodies, otherwise a condom is something that you can decide whether you want to use or not,” said Dube.
In recent years, there has been a growing movement in Zimbabwe to make sanitary wear more accessible. Some organisations are working to provide free or low-cost sanitary products to women and girls in need.
In the 2023 national budget, the government allocated about US$11.64 million for the provision of sanitary wear to school girls.
