Students and school administration at GS Remera say that receiving sanitary pads will help them maintain proper menstrual hygiene and attend school with greater confidence.
As the world marked Menstrual Hygiene Day on May 28, Réseau des Femmes organisation carried an awareness campaign at GS Remera, a school located in Remera Sector, Gasabo District.
The students were encouraged to prioritize their hygiene during menstruation while helping to break the stigma surrounding the monthly period.
“We understood that we should bathe at least twice a day and change sanitary pads every 4 to 6 hours.” Said, Jennifer, one of the students. “Because we learned that poor hygiene can lead to diseases.” She added
The awareness campaign was also accompanied by the distribution of reusable sanitary pads to 100 vulnerable girls.
Aimée, insures that the pads will help them maintain proper menstrual hygiene as “Sometimes a person would spend many hours wearing the same sanitary pad, which could cause bad odour.”
The sanitary pads, that can be used for up to two years, is also considered a solution by the school head teacher, Banzubaze Evaliste, who emphasizes that some students cannot afford disposable sanitary pads.
“There are children who cannot afford that package costing 1,000 francs.” He said. We wish for Réseau des Femmes to keep coming back because we have many girls.” He added
Health experts warn that poor menstrual hygiene can lead to various infections and may also affect mental well-being due to stigma, shame, and social isolation.
According to Bazarama Marie Michèle, Social Assistant at Réseau des Femmes, the campaign was necessary as a preventive response to these challenges.
“We found that students in schools need to understand what menstruation is and how to maintain proper hygiene during their periods.” She said
“In particular, we also provided them with reusable sanitary pads as part of promoting good menstrual hygiene.” She added
The campaign of Réseau des Femmes on menstrual hygiene is one of the activities under their project on Sexual and Reproductive Health & Rights (Project SDSR-Rwanda), implemented in all 15 sectors of Gasabo District, in partnership with the Canadian organization l’AMIE, with support from Global Affairs Canada.
The distribution of reusable sanitary pads will also continue in other sectors of Gasabo District, through Réseau des Femmes peer educators.
