9 - Period Poverty

“One in 10 girls in Africa miss school because they don’t have access to sanitary products, or because there aren’t safe, private toilets to use at school” (Action Aid, 2021).

In South Africa, many women and girls have to use ‘rags, socks, [and] even notebook paper’ when sanitary products cannot be bought, and when menstruation is taboo, it can bring about shame and embarrassment (Herberer, 2021). These factors reduce girls’ school attendance. In a previous post, I spoke about the issues women face when accessing inadequate sanitation facilities, including the particular difficulties posed for menstruating women. Today I want to briefly discuss the menstrual cup, and how it could end Period Poverty, ‘the lack of access to sanitary products, menstrual hygiene education, toilets, handwashing facilities, … waste management’ (Global Citizen, 2019).  

Girls receiving the MINA Cup at school (The MINA Foundation, 2021)

Lessons about menstruation (The MINA Foundation, 2021)

The ‘MINA Foundation’ in South Africa created a menstrual cup, a reusable receptacle inserted the vagina to catch and collect menstrual blood. It aimed ‘to empower… millions of underprivileged girls in the world… so that they can continue their education without interruption’ (MINA Foundation, 2021). They have visited over 100 South African schools to educate girls about menstruation and distribute over 20,000 menstrual cups (Global Citizen, 2018). The ‘Teddy Bear Clinic’ (a South African ‘social service agency’ combatting child abuse) found many girls missing school due to menstruation. They resultantly started a scheme introducing the MINA Cup, but found girls were hesitant to use it, partly due to the shame and embarrassment they felt surrounding periods (Herberer, 2021). 

 MINA Cup package (The MINA Foundation, 2021)

Being reusable, menstrual cups are environmentally friendly and affordable. They are made of ‘flexible medical grade silicone’ and can be used for up to 12 hours (Herberer, 2021). I believe their increased usage could help alleviate Period Poverty for millions, whilst also allowing them to avoid using unsafe toilets at night. Barriers to achieving this are scepticism and hesitance to try. It is a relatively recent development in menstrual technology, so I am intrigued to see how it will take off in the next few decades. Let me know what you think!