School break is over, but menstruation is not, for girls who started the 2023/24 academic year on Monday, September 25. Sanitary pads remain a ‘dream’ for many, and a big number of them miss school or resort to alternatives such as pieces of cloth, or pieces of foam from old mattresses. To tackle the issue of period poverty, Imbuto Foundation together with the Government of Rwanda, implemented the ‘Girls’ Room’, known as ‘Icyumba cy’umukobwa’ in Kinyarwanda, to provide free access to menstrual hygiene products for girls while in school. However, some schools were put on the spot for not having menstrual products in their girls’ rooms, which can be inconvenient and impact girls’ ability to fully participate in class or even attend school while on their period. Schools have no excuse for not availing menstrual products to their students, and we, as a community, can assist them with that. Several initiatives by activists have seen hundreds of thousands of sanitary pads distributed, but it is not enough because period poverty remains a real challenge for women and girls from disadvantaged families. In 2019, in a bid to ease the affordability of sanitary pads, the government added them to the list of VAT-exempted goods, something that was highly welcomed. However, countless women still consider sanitary pads a luxury. Different initiatives, however, have shown that the problem of period poverty can be tackled with sustainable solutions, such as reusable sanitary pads that last up to five years, saving both money and the environment. If companies manufacturing reusable washable sanitary pads were more subsidised, even one-time campaigns could solve the problem of period poverty in the long run. A packet of reusable sanitary pads would help a girl with her menstrual hygiene for many years, while a packet of disposable pads barely lasts her a month. Menstrual hygiene can be managed by affordable and appropriate menstrual hygiene materials, information on good practices, and a supportive environment where they manage menstruation without embarrassment or stigma, and reusable sanitary pads tick all the boxes. School girls – who are among the most vulnerable to period poverty – can benefit from reusable sanitary pads too.
