PARENTS AND GUARDIANS URGED TO BUY SANITARY TOWELS FOR GIRLS

IRINGA: Iringa region government in collaboration other stakeholders aims at empowering girls to fulfill their dreams in their lives by coping with various challenges that hinder them from attending school during menstrual period.

Speaking during the menstrual hygiene day celebration yesterday, Iringa regional commissioner Amina Masenza said that the government in partnership with stakeholders will make sure that they overcome some of the challenge female students from both primary and secondary schools facing during menstrual periods.

The 'Menstrual Hygiene Day 2018' event fall on May 28 and the event associate panel discussion on menstruation and the taboo around it.

Masenza stated that the government is committed to ensuring that free education is available to all sexes, so that the issue of safe menstrual cycles for girls is a key element in the family, community, and even the educational institutions to provide education that will enable them to be aware of issues of menstruation.

She said that it is the responsibility of each one of us to ensure that a female girl attends her studies throughout the year without any barriers caused by poor environment or lack of budget in obtaining those special menstrual sanitary pads.

She urged the stakeholders and general public to break silence on issues of menstrual taboo for girls and women to enable them to have good access to sanitary towels every month as a special strategy to end the challenge.

"The challenges facing girls during menstrual periods should be extensively discussed with an objective of seeking long-lasting solution to the prevailing menstrual-related problems,” She said, adding that parents and guardians should see the importance of setting aside fund to foot expenses for needs during menstrual time.

However, RC Masenza advised girls in school-going age to remain at bay from issues that are irrelevant to education because by so doing they will, surely, overcome obstacles that hinder from realizing their dream.

RC advised the girls to observe hygiene especially when it comes to cleaning their underwear.

She also noted that in order for girls to have safe menstrual hygiene they must wearing pants that are dried in the sun, hence prevention of infection like Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) and cervical cancer.

In the beginning, Afya Plus Director Suzan Yumbe, who coordinated the ceremony, said that the purpose of the celebration was to break the silence on menstruation issues, including the misconceptions that menstruation is a disease and how to make sure that girls put themselves in hygienic condition and stay in school instead of missing studies every day.

The director of Afya Plus, a nongovernmental organization based in Iringa said good environmental sanitation, clean water and safe as well as specific clothing-changing rooms for girls while menstruation in the country should be stressed.

She said that the organization has since begun to provide menstrual education with over 600 pupils for different female students in various schools in the region.

Yumbe said that this year's celebration is in line with the slogan 'There are no more obstacles to women and girls getting safe menstrual', so the organization has a strategy to enable girls to get special sanitary pads that can be reuse them safely and will enable the girls to attend lessons.

Why does Menstrual Hygiene Matter?

Effective menstrual hygiene is vital to the health, well-being, dignity, empowerment, mobility and productivity of women and girls. Poor menstrual hygiene may cause stigma and ill health, and can lead to school absenteeism and increased school drop-out rates. Menstruation is a taboo subject across the world, which can lead to misinformation and the promotion of dangerous menstrual hygiene practices.

The issue of menstrual hygiene has been neglected and there is reluctance even within the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector to talk openly about this important subject. However, menstrual hygiene is gaining growing attention as a crucial aspect to achieving improved child health, education retention and gender equality.

Menstruation is a natural process; however, if not properly managed it can result in health problems. The impact of poor menstrual hygiene on the psycho-social wellbeing of women and girls (eg. stress levels, fear and embarrassment, and social exclusion during menstruation) should also be considered, this is according some media reports.

IRINGA KUKABILIANANA CHANGAMOTO ZA MTOTO WA KIKE KATIKA HEDHI

Mkuu wa Mkoa wa Iringa Amina Masenza akizungumza na wanafunzi wa Shule mbalimbali katika Manispaa ya Iringa wakati wa maadhimisho ya siku ya hedhi duniani yaliyofanyika mkoani Iringa jana. Julia kwake ni mganga mkuu wa mkoa wa Iringa Dkt Robert Salim na kushoto kwake ni mkurugenzi wa shirika la Afya Plus Suzan Yumbe. (Picha na Friday Simbaya)

Mkuu wa Mkoa wa Iringa Amina Masenza (mwenye hijab ya jano na miwani) akicheza muziki na wanafunzi wakati wa maadhimisho ya siku ya hedhi duniani waliofanyika mkoani Iringa jana. (Picha Friday Simbaya)

SERIKALI mkoa wa Iringa umelenga kuwawezesha wasichana kutimiza ndoto za maisha yao kwa kukabiliana na changamoto mbalimbali zinazowafanya wabaki nyuma katika kuhudhuria masomo kipindi wakiwa katika hedhi.

Hayo yamezungumzwa na mkuu wa mkoa wa Iringa, Amina Masenza wakati wa kuelekea maadhimisho ya Siku ya Hedhi Duniani ambapo kimkoa yalifanyika kwa mara ya kwanza jana katika Bustani za Manispaa na kuhudhuriwa na wanafunzi wa kike kutoka shule mbalimbali za sekondari za mjini hapa ambapo kila mwaka yanaadhimishwa Mei 28.

Alisema kuwa changamoto kubwa ambayo wanakabiliana nayo watoto wa kike wengi walioko mashuleni ni kipindi cha hedhi ambapo baadhi yao wamekuwa hawana elimu, kutojiamini na utoro mashuleni wanapokuwa kwenye vipindi vya hedhi hali inayosababisha utoro.

Alisema kuwa serikali ya awamu ya tano inayo dhamira ya dhati kuhakikisha elimu bure inapatikana kwa jinsia zote hivyo basi suala la hedhi salama kwa wa kike ni jambo la msingi katika ngazi ya familia, jamii, na hata mashuleni kuwapatia elimu itakayowezesha kuwa na ufahamu wa masuala ya hedhi.

Masenza alisema kuwa ni jukumu la kila mmoja kuhakikisha kuwa mtoto wa kike anahudhuria masomo yake kwa mwaka mzima pasipo kuwa na vikwazo vinavyosababishwa ama na mazingira duni au ukosefu wa bajeti katika kupata taulo hizo maalum za hedhi.

Aliwataka wadau na wananchi kwa ujumla kuvunja ukimya juu ya suala la hedhi salama kwa mtoto wa kike na kuwezesha mtoto wa kike kupata taulo maalum kila mwezi na mkoa wa Iringa una mkakati maalum wa kumaliza changamoto hizo.

“Changamoto mbalimbali zinazowakabili wasichana wanapokuwa kwenye vipindi vya hedhi yanapaswa kujadiliwa na kutafutiwa ufumbuzi wa kudumu kwa kuwa yanachangia kurudisha nyuma jitihada za kuwainua watoto wa kike nchini na kuwataka mabinti kuondoka na aibu ya katika suala la hedhi hivyo mkakati upo kumaliza kwa kuwapatia bure mataulo maalum watoto wa kike” alisema

Awali Mkurugenzi wa Shirika lisilo la Kiserikali la Afya Plus, Suzan Yumbe ambao ndio waratibu wa maadhimisho hayo mkoa, alisema kuwa lengo la maadhimisho hayo ni kuvunja ukimya juu ya masuala ya hedhi ikiwemo kuondokana na dhana potofu kwamba hedhi ni ugonjwa pamoja na namna bora ya kuhakikisha mtoto wa kike anajiweka katika hali ya usafi ili abaki shuleni badala ya kukosa masoko kila apatapo hedhi.

Alisema ukosefu wa mazingira bora kama vyoo, maji safi na salama pamoja na vyumba mahsusi vya kubadilishia nguo , hasa kwa watoto wa kike wanapokua katika hedhi mashuleni kuna changia utoro.

Alisema kuwa shirika hilo tangu limeanza kutoa elimu ya hedhi wamekwisha gawa zaidi pedi 600 kwa wanafunzi wa kike mbalimbali katika shule mbalimbali mjini hapa na kuwezesha kupunguza kwa kiasi kikubwa utoro mashuleni.

Yumbe alisema kuwa maadhimisho ya mwaka huu yanaambatana na kauli mbiu ya ‘Hakuna vikwazo zaidi wezesha wanawake na wasichana kupata hedhi salama’ hivyo shirika hilo lina mikakati ya kuwezesha watoto wa kike kupata taulo maalum za kufua na kuzitumia tena ambazo ni salama na zitamwezesha mtoto kike kuhudhuria masomo.