Friday, 10 March 2023

Dear Government, please prioritise our women.

 Our Government has failed our Namibian women. 


''I wish the distribution of free pads could be given more attention, like the distribution of condoms,'' says Cathy Mabuku , an 18-year-old girl from Eenhana. Our Government surely does have funds but does it have the focus? Why does it spend millions on free condoms but not a single cent on free menstrual products? Many of our Namibian daughters grow up with a single male guardian and do not feel comfortable asking for sanitary products. Why can't those who sit in power prioritise period poverty when they so freely distribute tax funds into Government services at the federal, state, and local levels. 

As stated in The Namibian the Minister of Health and Social Services says that 8.4 million condoms are enough to satisfy the needs of Namibians for three months. The government does a great job of investing millions into the sexual needs of our people, but what about the needs of our struggling women? The fraction of women who can afford to buy menstrual products spend N$100 000 on sanitary pads annually. Coming from a critical thinker does the government then really cater to the needs of its people or do they just want to spend less money on them. The use of condoms not only prevents STDs but also lowers the pregnancy rate in our country and regulates population growth.


Hmm, a lot of thoughts and opinions are expressed in this post. Go sit on your balcony and reflect on all this then share your thoughts as well as this post with your friends!

Till next time๐Ÿ‘‹

 

 Reference:

 https://www.namibian.com.na

Ever heard of Menstrual poverty?

The Struggle of Namibian Women

 

We all have heard about and seen poverty throughout our daily lives but we tend to see poverty as a whole and we forget that it affects us in different areas of life. Menstrual poverty is the struggle of many low-income women and girls while trying to afford menstrual products. Research shows that 2.4% of girls miss school when they are on their period. Not having access to menstrual products brings uncomfortably, averts them from being active, and puts them at an unfair disadvantage. According to Professor John Guillbeau from the UCL Institute for Women s Health, the pain experienced from a period cramp is equivalent to that of the pain from a heart attack. Not only do working women have to go to work in utmost pain, but our teen girls have to skip school unwillingly. This results in them missing out on a whole week of school. They miss out on 40 hours of school. In cases such as compulsory exams and tests, they have no choice but to show up with the most uncomfortable alternatives as sanitary pads. These can include socks, shreds of old pieces of fabric, and mattress pieces. These alternatives are unhygienic and hazardous to their health and can lead to urinary tract infections. This is only a fraction of the struggle that women have to go through.

I believe that a woman's menstrual cycle should be seen as a blessing, but the poor circumstances that we have in our country rob women of this precious gift. It is rather seen more as a curse than a blessing.

                  Do you think this is fair towards the women who carry and give birth to our                                    Namibian children? Feel free to share your thoughts ๐Ÿ’›



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