Over
the past, menstrual hygiene and management have been a neglected priority due
to feeble donor strategies and the national government policies across the
Sub-Saharan. Several countries in the region face several health issues, which
is attributed to poorly developed health systems, underdevelopment, and lack of
effective governance structures. Feminine hygiene has been a fundamental
challenge to women due to limited access and knowledge on the sanitary
materials. Besides, cultural acceptability of hygiene products has been
overlooked. Majority of the women prefer traditional practices since they are
conversant with the products and considered more affordable. Advocacy groups
have played a major role in enhancing global health in the region with a focus
on improving access to feminine hygiene products. The groups have laid vigorous
campaign strategies that seek to raise awareness on quality health and at the
same time, mobilizing funds to support the course.
Thesis Statement
The paper seeks to determine the feminine
hygiene in the Sub-Saharan region, which has posed as a global health issue.
The study will further provide the prevalence and incidence of the issue in
Africa. Besides, the research will outline current interventions and
recommendations on how to improve access to feminine hygiene products for
quality care. The focus will be future directions and programs that seek to
guarantee quality feminine health in the region.
Prevalence
and Incidence
The access to feminine hygiene products
has been attributed to gaps in knowledge on hygiene management, coupled with
challenges due to lack of affordable menstrual packages. For example, women and
girls in the Sub-Saharan region lack access to facilities and services that
would help handle or cope with the logistical requirements during periods. The worst
hit areas are remote rural areas and the majority of school-attending girls.
According to Ssewanyana and Bitanihirwe (2019), approximately 50% and 70% of
young girls experience inadequate preparation for menstrual hygiene. Inadequate
clean water, private space and washrooms, lack of materials for managing the
periods, and inappropriate disposal of used pads, as well as the inaccessible
pain relief drugs further worsen the situation.
The incidence of feminine periods is
frequent; hence, many women cannot afford disposable products every month while
some fail at all. Majority of drugstores run by men may not emphasize the sale
if reusable products for women. The region does not appreciate the fact that
menstruation is a normal, healthy, and vital process among women (Millington &
Bolton, 2015). A negative cultural attitude has grown roots in the community,
which has translated to a taboo that considers women as dirty and impure.
Discriminatory cases have subjected girls
and women in the region to a high risk of illness. For example, some girls cannot
properly wash or dry their reusable sanitary towels in a bid to enhance hygiene
in school environments since it is a taboo. They cannot dry them outside;
hence, they end up hiding them under beds or roof thatches, which provide a ground
for bacteria to breed, leading to illnesses (Kuhlmann, Henry, & Wall,
2017). Therefore, it is important to help women and girls, as well as the
community, understand that monthly menses are a normal health issue and
feminine deserve safety, respect, dignity, and privacy in a bid to manage their
health issues.
Disposable menstrual hygiene products in
Sub-Saharan Africa are not an option for menstruating women. Majority of the
African women cannot afford such products or may fear to purchase from shops operated
by men. Besides, disposal of the used hygiene products has proved to be a
challenge due to the environmental impact. Several charity organizations in the
region have made strides through the provision of sanitary towels (Jewitt &
Ryley, 2014). However, due to the high demand for the materials, it has proved
to be a challenge in serving schoolgirls from disadvantaged backgrounds. For
example, a free supply to 960 women across different sixty villages increased
subsequent demands for pads (Millington & Bolton, 2015). Therefore,
continuity and the sustainability of sanitary supply program face constant
challenges, which can lead to local design for reusable sanitary towels that
may not meet prescribed health standards.
Current
Interventions and Recommendations
Interventions that improve hygiene among
adolescent girls and women include hardware or physical infrastructures, such
as sanitary products and wash facilities (Ssewanyana & Bitanihirwe, 2019).
Besides, software components, such as raising awareness and educating girls to
change and adopt hygienic lifestyles would improve health outcomes.
Furthermore, school absences that are attributed to the difficult management of
menses would be outdated (Kuhlmann et al., 2017). Regions lying in urban centers
except for highly populate and slum villages tend to have proper menstrual
hygiene. However, rural areas highly experience poor hygiene in the Sub-Saharan
region. There is a need to balance the campaign in the region, covering both
urban and the rural setups to ensure that women and girls are acquainted with
the existence of the reusable menstrual products guarantee sustainable hygiene.
Several companies, such as Unilever and
advocacy groups have rolled out programs and campaigns that seek to boost the
global health issue. For example, Unilever’s Always brand has gained acceptance
in the region, which has been considered as one of the most economical,
practical, and environmentally sustainable hygiene products for menstrual
management. Some governments through education departments have adopted the
provision of free or subsidized hygiene products. The move has enhanced
learning and reduce psychological trauma among adolescent school-going girls.
Besides, accessing safe and clean water enhances hand and menstrual hygiene
with the use of reusable pads guarantee a comfortable learning environment.
Educating a girl is an effective tool for
development, which translates to personal hygiene management (Jewitt &
Ryley, 2014). Education enlightens one and helps in understanding that
menstruation is a healthy biological process. Compulsory sex education would
help girls understand themselves better before attaining menarche. It also
reduces the knowledge gap, which has been a great challenge to several
Sub-Saharan girls have about puberty. It further helps in challenging cultural
acceptance and sexual exploitation that put them at risk of harm and other
illnesses. For example, an educated girl would not easily accept cash or any
goodies from men as an exchange for money or support in obtaining sanitary
towels.
Adoption and the implementation of
policies that suit resource-poor settings would guarantee improved health and
the social status of women and girls. For example, it is cheap to adopt
awareness programs that seek to empower women on the importance of personal
hygiene. Besides, emphasis on them that the condition is an unavoidable and
normal process for all healthy women and girls would free them from cultural
entangles and stereotypes, which make them believe that they are dirty (Millington
& Bolton, 2015). The strategy works especially for schoolgirls who may
consider hard to manage recurrent cycles.
Strengths and Barriers to
Alleviating the Issue
Every stakeholder appreciates that it
is important to improve access to feminine hygiene products in the region. Poor
women and girls in the region face financial support, coupled with poor
knowledge on hygiene practices but, advocacy groups, companies, and governments
have unilaterally joined hands in empowering women and improving access to
menstrual products. Several groups and associations have supported the campaign
through the provision of free pads and education funds, ensuring that
vulnerable girls do not miss lessons due to manageable menstrual conditions.
Despite the concerted effort towards
improving access to menstrual products, the access for adequate feminine
hygiene products has been hindered by factors, such as lack of knowledge of
personal hygiene, unsustainable provision of free hygiene products, and poor
support from local authorities. Some of the programs have failed or experience
inherent financial distress due to high demand for the pads. Besides, some
governments have policies that hinder access to hygiene products. For example,
tax and tariff policies that impose taxes on menstrual hygiene products,
increasing prices to a level that cannot be afforded by a majority of women and
girls in the region.
Recommendations
Professionals associations, regional,
governmental or affiliated organizations have spearheaded the drive for
improved menstrual hygiene through adequate and constant access to feminine
products. Despite the effort, some of women and girls in the Sub-Saharan
African face inherent sanitary challenges, which have lowered personal esteem and
development (Hennegan et al., 2018). Therefore, there is need to adopt
realistic and relevant strategies that enlighten women on the importance of
proper hygiene and improve the access for the products.
Providing basic formal education raises
the level of literacy in society. Therefore, countries in the region should
emphasis on strategies that seek to support education for both young boys and
girls. The approach would help the majority of schoolgirls appreciate that
menstruation is inevitable and the best way to manage is to adopt appropriate
hygiene and management. Besides, enhancing awareness in the community would
help men and boys appreciate that the menstruation process is normal and they
should not harass or stigmatize women and girls.
Possible Future
Directions for Prevention or Intervention
Better menstrual hygiene can be
achieved through the adoption of educational interventions. Secondly,
emphasizing on personal hygiene practices would lead to improved health of the
feminine and the community at large. Education enhances knowledge and hygiene skills,
for instance, washing and sun-drying clothes. Additionally, learned women and
girls comfortably use and dispose of sanitary parts; hence, enhancing personal
health and decreasing cases of school absenteeism during menses.
The provision of reusable feminine
products has proved to be practically economical and environmentally
sustainable. However, poor knowledge on the existence, high costs, and the
psychological barriers have compromised access to menstrual hygiene products (Tamiru
et al., 2015). Therefore, adoptions of alternative approaches, such as the use
of menstrual cups are more appropriate and sustainable, unlike reusable pads.
Once the perceptions and experiences of girls change, especially with the
insertion, they will experience less leakage. The cups help them stay safe and
remain more comfortable than sanitary pads. Hence, the intervention would
reduce costs incurred on the reusable cup and prevent school dropouts, as well
as achieve improved sexual and reproductive health.
Sub-Saharan region is largely
underdeveloped, characterized by poor settings and androcentric men. Majority
of the men primarily control women and maintain power, a stereotype that has
compromised the financial independence of women. Therefore, economic
empowerment comes second as the most appropriate approach that enhances
financial independence. A financially stable woman can afford personal effects
and hygiene products; hence, reducing cases of health complications attributed
to menstruation (Tamiru et al., 2015). Therefore, the feminine should enjoy
equal job opportunities as men in a bid to boost their financial stability. The
government should outline policies that offer equal job opportunities to both
men and women; hence, reducing reliance on men for the provision of hygiene
products for family members, women and girls. The approach provides a long-term
solution that would see women strong and healthy.
The other possible future direction for
the intervention would be engaging social entrepreneurs in developing
countries. One of the factors that have led to compromised feminine hygiene is
the inability to afford menstrual products. Therefore, engaging entrepreneurs
through small enterprises that manufacture low-cost pads would offer a long-lasting
solution to the women and girls in the region (Millington & Bolton, 2015).
Besides, unsustainably high demand for the sanitary towels may not be met by
several advocacy groups; therefore, teaming up or supporting such entrepreneurs
would guarantee sustainable affordable and adequate delivery of hygiene
products. One of the successful social entrepreneurs includes Aaakar and
Sustainable Health Enterprises, abbreviated as SHE (Millington & Bolton,
2015). SHE program has helped women to start social businesses that manufacture
and sell affordable menstrual and hygiene pads. For example, farmers in Rwanda
have been throwing away banana trunk fiber but the group has helped women set
up factories within the community where they cut, card, wash, fluff, and dry
banana products, which are made into affordable menstrual pads (Millington
& Bolton, 2015). The group has further innovated ways in which it
replicates its operation in Sub-Saharan Africa but the local governments should
support such initiatives to boost feminine health in schools and the community.
Additionally, governments in the region should waive all value-added taxes on
feminine hygiene products and provide an enabling environment that encourages
social businesses.
In conclusion, feminine hygiene in the
African region has become a global health issue and there is a need to enhance
access to menstrual products. Financial challenges and lack of hygiene practice
knowledge have led to poor menstrual management. However, several advocacy
associations and companies through CSR initiatives have spearheaded the access
to subsidized or free sanitary pads and the cups though the programs have faced
unsustainable financial challenges. It is important for the governments in the
region to adopt or support initiatives that guarantee women and girls personal
hygiene. For example, encouraging social entrepreneurs and the removal of
levies would enhance affordability and access to feminine hygiene products.
References
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