WUNRN
http://www.daysforgirls.org/#!action-plan/c1a33
Dignity can't wait...
What if not having
sanitary supplies kept you isolated during menstruation? DAYS
without school. DAYS without income. No leaving your room... for DAYS. It
happens worldwide to women in impoverished communities. Girls miss up to 3
months of school in just 1 year. Girls use leaves, mattress stuffing,
newspaper, corn husks, rocks, anything they can find... all to try to stay in
school. Worse, girls are often exploited in exchange for hygiene (see one
girl telling her story HERE). It turns out this
issue is one of the keys to social change. It's hard to imagine, but true for
women all over the world.
________________________________________________________________
WORLD YWCA & DAYS FOR GIRLS
INTERNATIONAL
A more
dignified, humane and sustainable world for girls through advocacy,
reproductive health awareness, education and sustainable feminine hygiene -
kits +
In
many communities around the world it is taboo to talk about menstruation.
Millions of women around the globe struggle due to lack of access to basic
hygienic sanitary products and, each month, many young women and girls choose
to sit and wait in their rooms for days. Human rights campaigners and human
rights based organisations such as the World YWCA are advocating for young
women and girls to get their days backs, so that they can live a healthy life
and fully realise their sexual and reproductive health rights.
Days for Girls International
works to get washable feminine hygiene kits into the hands of those that would otherwise
go without. They advocate and partner with NGO's and agencies to teach women
and communities to create their own feminine hygiene kits. Days for Girls
International has recently partnered with the YWCA of Kenya. They work to raise
public awareness, education regarding AIDS and preventable diseases, health,
safety and all sexual and reproductive health programmes that are saving lives,
helping girls stay in school and creating equality for women. Together with
volunteers and partners they sew, gather supplies, create connections and raise
funds that help create an environment of dignity and increases access to
education and health services, which all help to keep girls in school and
reduces the risk of female genital mutilation (FGM). By staying in
school young women and girls know and understand their rights and are able to
engage in safe spaces to seek help or report if their parents are forcing them
to undergo FGM. In this respect young women and girls are in a better position
to negotiate with their parents and discuss alternative rights of
passage.Through the work of Days for Girls International women are also
empowered to speak out against abuse.
In June 2012, Days
for Girls International held training for more than 40 young women at the YWCA
of Kenya National Office in Nairobi. The training was focused on creating a
more dignified, humane and sustainable world for girls through advocacy,
reproductive health awareness, education and sustainable feminine hygiene
because no girl should go without. In a situation where girls across
Kenya often have no money to buy sanitary pads, or have to use money that would
have gone for food or other necessities, girls are frequently compelled to miss
school when they are menstruating. This has put girls further and further
behind in their classes and ultimately contributes to their decision to drop
out of school entirely, thus increasing their risk of sexual violence, HIV
infection, long-term health problems and poverty. In the training these young
women were taken through the process of making the reusable sanitary towels and
were also given a chance to share their experiences on health, hygiene and
safety as young women.
One participant
said, “I felt this was a safe space for us to share what we experienced when we
had our first menstruation. I talked about what I think should be done to the
other young girls who miss school at least one week every month just to avoid
embarrassment from their male counterparts. It’s embarrassing because one has
to rise up in class to answer a question.”
According to a 2010
report from the World Health Organisation 74% of African girls are sexually
exploited before the age of 12. Some girls, in an effort to scrape together
enough money for sanitary pads and to stay in school, will go as far as to
exchange sex for money or hygiene packs. Many girls in different
communities use the available and affordable commodities like corn husks,
banana leaves, toilet paper and old pieces of clothes. These in turn cause
irritation, discomfort and even infections resulting into high risk behaviour
with huge implications for their safety and their health.
The YWCA of Kenya,
in partnership with Days for Girls International, is working towards an
inclusive society whereby young women and girls can participate and continue
with their education free from discrimination and violence. The World YWCA is
committed to advancing women’s rights including the sexual and reproductive health rights of young women and
girls. In this regard the work of the YWCA of Kenya is imperative to the sexual
and reproductive health of future generations and the empowerment of young
women and girls.