In South Africa, many girls face challenges throughout their first period, particularly in impoverished communities the place isn’t any entry to sanitary merchandise or details about menstruation.
In most circumstances, young girls are pressured to use rags, cloths, socks and even newspapers.
This, together with the lack of expertise on how to navigate your first period, ends in disgrace or embarrassment, which frequently makes many girls miss college by staying at house throughout their intervals.
Menstruation stigma
In some communities, the stigma surrounding intervals makes young girls lose confidence as their dad and mom and lecturers could not give them bodily and emotional steering in regards to the modifications that can occur to their our bodies.
“We need to do everything possible to ensure our young girls are educated about their changing bodies during puberty,” mentioned SPAR’s Brand Promotion and Advertising Manager, Bhavna Sanker.
Sanker mentioned girls want entry to sanitary merchandise “so they can enjoy a proper education without embarrassment”.
Tips to assist prepare young girls for their first period
- Menstruation is regular and never a illness: This occurs to each woman between the age of 9 and 16. It doesn’t imply one ought to chorus from social interactions.
- Menstruation doesn’t have to be a secret: Due to lack of expertise and ignorance, a number of girls shrink back from asking questions. If nicely knowledgeable, you are able to do away with the stigma related to disgrace and educate different girls.
- Periods will be painful: Pain differs for each woman, some would possibly expertise cramps or backache. All this may be relieved by a scorching water bottle, remedy, or a stroll.
- Irregular intervals: During the first years of intervals, some could expertise irregular menstrual patterns which can be troublesome to observe each month. It’s necessary to observe your cycle to finest prepare.
- Using female hygiene merchandise: It is necessary to educate the girls how to use pads or cloths for their first intervals. Pads and reusable cloths ought to be modified after six hours.
Pledge-a-pack marketing campaign
To be sure that college girls have entry to sanitary pads in order that they really feel assured to attend college with none disgrace, Spar is working the Petals Pledge-a-Pack marketing campaign from 21 June to 31 July.
“Through this marketing campaign, we’re encouraging all our buyers to purchase a pack of SPAR Petals Classic Sanitary Pads 8s for R6 and donate these at our collaborating shops.
“These will be distributed to the girls who need them the most, making a big difference in their lives by allowing them to experience shame-free education so they can pursue a better future,” added Bhavna.
Mina Cup
This is a re-useable non-absorbent cup made from versatile grade silicone that sits within the vaginal canal and collects menstrual blood for six to 12 hours, relying on the scale of the cup.
This is a secure, hygienic and inexpensive possibility as high quality cup might final for years.
An intervention study by Laura Harberer in colleges with assist from Sexual Violence Initiative in Schools program (SEVISA) run by South Africa’s Teddy Bear Clinic discovered that the girls they served wrestle with managing their intervals.
The Teddy Bear Clinic operates in Johannesburg to fight Violence Against Girls (VAG) by offering remedy, courtroom preparation, training and advocacy providers at eight colleges.
The outcomes of the survey confirmed that almost all girls choose utilizing disposable menstrual pads as in contrast to another menstrual merchandise.
The group that was given the Mina cup and taught how to use it nonetheless most well-liked the sanitary pads as a result of they had been hesitant and uncomfortable with the menstrual cup.
This is as a result of the girls are usually not nicely educated in regards to the Mina cup. In some situations, they had been scared to insert the cup.
Some of the girls mentioned they couldn’t think about how one thing so huge might match inside their vaginas they usually discovered it bizarre.
Those in favour of the Mina Cup defined it as a straightforward method to keep away from an ungainly dialog along with her brother asking for cash to purchase sanitary pads.
“A extra thorough possibility could also be to create and conduct a extra thorough survey particular to explanation why girls aren’t attempting their menstrual cups.
“With a better understanding of why girls aren’t trying the menstrual cup, pertinent information could be learned to alter the way we educate girls about the menstrual cup option,” mentioned Harberer.
NOW READ: How girls have managed intervals all through historical past