A Quest for Period Dignity: An Initiative by FlexBiz and Ogrograhi Foundation
The indefinite scarcity of resources defines the ongoing state of Period Poverty for 1.25 billion women and girls wide across the globe (The World Bank, 2022). The living conditions tend to worsen — as inflation surges worldwide. The majority are suffering from a lack of education on menstrual hygiene, and they don't have any access to clean toilets, while around 526 million girls don't even have a toilet to begin with (ActionAid, 2022). The austerity doesn't stop here, it leads to further socio-economic disparities.
In rural areas for instance, parents often contemplate whether sending their daughters to school during menstruation is plausible, with many concluding it to be a matter of high inconvenience. Therefore, broadly affecting the delivery of education to underprivileged girls. According to a UNESCO (2022) report — one in 10 girls skip school during their period in Sub-Saharan Africa. This is about 20 per cent of their entire academic year. As a result, the girls are likely to fall behind the boys of their age, thereby re-emphasising the indisputable Gender Inequality prevalent in society.
If compared with the state of awareness or the lack of it in rural Bangladesh — a survey conducted five years ago still provide clear insights into the present times as well, the findings show that only 6 per cent of schools provide education on topics of health, hygiene and sustainability, while only 36 per cent of girls had some knowledge about menstruation before their very first period (World Bank 2017). Another survey conducted a year later showed a further decline — as per a report by UNICEF, concluding only 53 per cent of adolescent school girls had some knowledge about menstruation before they got their first period, according to a national survey on menstrual hygiene (UNICEF, 2018). A number of girls from underprivileged backgrounds also tend to struggle on their own through the puberty phase without any guidance about hygiene or the necessary means to purchase sanitary pads.
To a vast amount of people, menstrual goods are an expensive luxury. What persists as a matter of concern is, even if sanitary pads were to be made affordable, many girls and women remain hesitant to visit local pharmacies and general stores or shops since the majority are staffed by boys and men.
The most distressing part of Period Poverty is that it is not only a pertinent problem in developing nations, it is a widespread concern in the UK as well, especially with soaring inflation and the sky-rocketing energy bills crisis. Many British women have been forced to prioritize other household essentials over buying menstrual products like tampons for instance. 75 per cent also assert that they prioritized spending on food, while 49 per cent catered to utility bills such as gas/electricity, out of which 31 per cent prioritised paying for fuel (ActionAid, 2022). These results prove that Period Poverty is not restricted to poorer countries in the Global South, it is a global crisis indeed.
Therefore, in order to make sanitary pads more accessible to girls and women in rural Bangladesh, FlexBiz, a Digital
Marketing Firm and Ogrohahi Foundation have been initiating movements to shift the focus onto raising the awareness on Waste Management and Environmental Sustainability, leading to the formation of a dynamic endeavour to create a two-way beneficial Cause for Women by Women which has garnered highly favourable support so far. The initiative is inspired by the famous old saying "from rags to riches" henceforth the concept of "Upcycling" surfaces. This ensures recycled fabrics/discarded textiles are reused and improved in quality to ensure production of hand-woven and hand-stitched sanitary pads which are also suitable for sensitive skin, intending to omit the possibility of allergic reactions. The texture of the cloths will also make it user-friendly and easy to wash, serving its reusable purpose. All of which in turn contribute to more cost-effective methods of less wastage, consequently aiming to deliver an eco-friendlier environment for the people of Bangladesh.
The scopes for betterment are henceforth endless if the Cause discussed above could be executed with adequate support, all of which can only begin with raising awareness through educating and implementing pragmatic strategies to improve the current situation. Though it will be tough to perceive Bangladesh as a nation that delivers complimentary menstrual goods to all women currently, nothing is impossible after all. As slowly but surely, it is with such humble, baby steps that could enable Bangladesh's prospect to emerge as another Scotland someday, who happen to be the first country in the world to make menstrual goods accessible to everyone in need. It took them years to initiate this noble Cause and it will take a considerable amount of time for Bangladesh as well, but it is best to start somewhere at least; and with an innovative plan that takes consecutive measures to evolve gradually and provide cost-effective yet sustainable solutions to such a pertinent disparity in society, Bangladesh would be consistently evolving as an "ecosystem-enabler" thus, working in favour of eradicating Gender, Educational and Health Inequalities as much as possible to eradicate the ongoing and indisputable existence of gender segregation and socio-economic stagnation.
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