adminWimbainashe Zhakata Mutare Correspondent
Mutasa district administrator Mr Tendai Kapenzi says it is important for young women and girls to develop a positive attitude towards menstruation and the provision of adequate hygienic facilities to enhance their health and well-being.
Speaking at International Menstrual Hygiene Health Day commemorations at Chiedza Community Welfare Trust in Mutasa, he said men and boys needed to fully understand what girls and young women go through during menstruation and embrace it.
“We celebrate International Menstrual Hygiene Day to break the silence and build awareness about the fundamental role that good menstrual hygiene management plays in enabling all those who menstruate to reach their full potential,” he said.
Addressing the same gathering, district schools inspector, Mrs Chipo Mlambo said talking about menstruation was no longer a taboo hence every member of society should embrace it and educate young people about it.
“It is important for young people to learn more about it. I define it as a female development that separates men from women as well as boys from girls, but both of them need to know about it.”
She also urged teachers to provide guidance, support and care for girls during their monthly periods at school.
“As Ministry of Education, we have noted that girls need support during their monthly periods. We have received many cases in different schools that young girls even those in primary schools are menstruating.
“However, we have noticed that male students seem to be smarter than girls, but the only reason this is happening is because girls are facing difficulties in schools during their menstrual periods.
“They do not participate well in class because they will be stressed going through mood swings and abdominal pains, which cause a lot of discomfort at school.
“That disturbs their learning hence they do not perform well at school,” said Mrs Mlambo.
She said some young girls did not have access to proper sanitary wear due to financial constraints and have had to resort to using old rags in place of sanitary pads.
“These rags are not suitable for young people because they affect their confidence to participate in physical fitness activities at school,” she added.
Chiedza Community Welfare director Mrs Gladys Mukaratirwa said reusable sanitary wear was cheaper and safer towards the environment.
She urged Government to encourage its use among women and girls in marginalised communities that have been failing to afford basic sanitary wear.
International Menstrual and Hygiene Day was first celebrated in Germany in 2014 to make people embrace menstruation as a vital developmental process in women and young girls.
Online Reporter