Overcoming Menstrual Menace: Cynthia’s Fight for Education and Dignity

Agatha Mali, Communications, Zambia

Menstruation period was a menace for girls like the 16-year-old Cynthia, who relieves the ordeal of missing school every single week of the month.

Cynthia, a grade eight at Chipapa Primary School, explains that girls who reach the menstrual age like her face the challenge of finding sanitary pads adding that in most cases they would just avoid school and stay home until menstruation is over. 

She remembers how the menstrual period once hit her while at school of which she struggled to conceal her circumstance from fellow school goers who were fond of laughing at those in such circumstance. 

“I remember starting off from school despite not feeling very well, and when I reached school, my period started,” says Cynthia. “I felt so uncomfortable and was scared that boys would start laughing at me because I had messed up.”

Though her guidance teacher gave her a sanitary pad, it was insufficient.  “But she only gave me one because the school does not have enough to cater for all the girls,” she adds.

Fearing mockery and the discomfort of being at school without an additional sanitary pad, Cynthia returned home a sad girl.

“It hurt me because I missed some lessons, and this is usually the case every single week of the month,” she says.

Cynthia observes that girls were disadvantaged as they are compelled to miss lessons due to a lack of sufficient sanitary pads that would help prevent them from the embarrassment of not being able to cover their menstrual periods.

Through its donors, World Vision provides Veeda hygiene packs to support and encourage the girls to be in school and not stay home when they have their menstrual periods. However the provision is not sufficient and rural schools like Chipapa needs sufficient pads for girls whose parents can’t provide for them.

Otherwise, education for most girls like Cynthia continues to be disturbed.

But, even with the interruptions in her class attendance, Cynthia is determined to complete her education and achieve her dream of becoming a teacher.

“I want to become a teacher when I complete school because I enjoy seeing what our teachers do. I want to bring change as well so that no girl should miss class because of menstruation,” says Cynthia.

During the distribution of the hygiene packs at both Chipapa primary and secondary schools, the Area Programme manager, Barbara Sampa encouraged the girls to continue working hard as they are the upcoming future leader. 

“It’s our hope to see a girl child educated and have a bright future. And it is for this reason that our sponsors decided to share with us these hygienic items so that we avoid missing class and always clean,” she says.