Constance Dimingo, 19, struggles to recall the last time she used a sanitary pad while wriggling in her wheelchair. She laments, “I didn’t use a pad since my mother passed away last year.
A natural monthly cycle has been transformed into a time of shame due to a congenital physical impairment and poverty.
“Now I have to stop the blood from flowing by using anything I can find, including cow manure, leaves, newspapers, and garments. She continues, “I wish my mother was still alive so she could get me pads and painkillers for my period.
According to a research by SNV Netherlands Development Organization in Zimbabwe, Constance is one of the 72% of girls who do not have access to commercial sanitary wear who live in the rural community of Domboshava, 30 km north of the capital Harare.
For the majority of the 3 million menstruation girls in the country, who live below the poverty datum line, sanitary pads costing the equivalent of US$2 are out of reach.
Constance, her sister who has epilepsy, and three other girls are totally dependent on their grandmother, who is blind, to take care of their menstrual hygiene during that time of the month.
Six females, three disabilities and one bloody mess.
“Sanitary pads are a luxury I cannot afford for my girls,” grandmother Vhene Gumedhe shares, explaining how the cow dung process works.
“I take the dung, mould it and leave it to dry so that it easily absorbs the blood. The girls do not put the cow pattie 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 concludes, “The girls have heavy flows with cycles that typically last six days. We prefer this method because cow patties soak up a lot of blood. Once soaked, we dispose of it privately by burying it in the ground. Our Shona culture does not allow that men see such things.”
The plight of this family is similar to that of the millions of poor women who have turned to desperate measures throughout the country of Southern Africa in order to control their periods.
Because they lack access to sanitary goods and facilities with good cleanliness, 67 percent of girls miss school during their periods, according to the Ministry of Women and Youth Affairs. Girls with disabilities usually drop out of school altogether, as was the case with Constance.
In addition to causing students to skip school, these practices, according to health experts, serve as a breeding ground for bacteria like salmonella, E. coli, and several others that can harm the reproductive system.
“The girls complain of itching and burning sensations in the vagina. When examined at the hospitals, we notice yeast infections, urogenital tract infections and early signs of cervical cancer due to insertion in the vaginal tract.” shares Theresa Nkhoma, Community Childcare Worker under the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare.
“We are advocating for the ladies to receive sewing machines in the villages so they can learn to make reusable pads.” the health worker proposes.
Zimbabwe’s government has taken steps to improve the problem by eliminating levies on all sanitary goods. However, according to the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency, the inflation rate, which is currently over 191.6 percent, is making the problem of period poverty worse.
Families must decide between buying food and feminine hygiene products, with the majority opting for the latter.
Pads are still a luxury for Constance and her sisters, who make less than a dollar a day and continue to endure the burden of Zimbabwe’s economic crisis.
