I will never forget how relieved I felt when a colleague told me we had sanitary pads at the newsroom.

I had covered a story earlier at one of the ministries. I felt it flowing right when I was leaving the elevator heading back to the office, and I had to go to the washroom to confirm.

When I reached at the newsroom, I grabbed one of my colleague’s arm to the side and asked her if she had, by any chance, a sanitary pad. She said: "actually, we have pads here.”

This was a miracle! One of my options was to return home and freshen up, but it could take me time. Nevertheless, my worry was only the time it would have taken me, but this is only from a privileged perspective.

Women like Valentine Uwamahoro, a resident of Musanze district would appreciate if a few minutes was the only cost to hygienic menstrual health.

Inside Love centre's tailoring room where reusable sanitary pads are made. Photo by Craish Bahizi

The 25-year-old mother told The New Times that she can hardly remember the last time she used a sanitary pad. She simply cannot afford it, so she uses pieces of cloth that she washes and dries under the sun.

"I am an orphan, so when I had my first period, I was living with my grandmother. I didn’t have anyone to ask about menstruation. I decided to use pieces of cloth to not stain my clothes. After some time, my friends told me about sanitary pads, but I only used them briefly before I got married and couldn’t afford them,” Uwamahoro added.

It sounds insensitive to say that Uwamahoro may still be considered among the lucky, but it is the truth.

A senior two student from Nyamasheke district revealed that she was using pieces of a mattress she was sleeping on for menstrual hygiene, as recounted by Divine Akimana, a period activist and Country Director of African Talent Initiative – an organization that supports artists but also makes reusable sanitary pads.

"I couldn’t imagine how she was using a mattress; the untidiness is one issue, but her mental health was more worrying. This is one of the saddest stories that will forever be in my heart,” Akimana said as she broke down in tears.

Another woman had come to the Initiative’s workshop before the interview and sighed when she was given a pack of eight reusable sanitary pads and a bottle of liquid soap, all for free.

Apparently, she has been bleeding for more than two months and is raising funds for her heart surgery.

Akimana could go on and on, because since last year in September, their organization- which is also known as the ‘Love Centre,’ has equipped more than 1,500 vulnerable women with their reusable sanitary pads and soap for free.

Reusable sanitary pads made by Love Centre. Photo by Craish Bahizi

In a small room, three women tailor bamboo blend, propylene, towel, and water proof together to make a sanitary pad that can be washed after use, with a durability of a year, which can also be longer depending on how well they are taken care of.

Akimana herself and the women at the Love Centre use them and even encourage every menstruating woman to try them.

Organizations and activists supplying menstrual hygiene products for free, just like the Love Centre, are increasing, and so are campaigns, but period poverty remains a real challenge for women and girls from disadvantaged families.

In 2020, thousands of sanitary pads were pledged and supplied through the ‘I Matter Initiative’ and the ‘Free the period’ social media campaigns.

While this has been undoubtedly beneficial, women like Uwamahoro may not be reached, or will definitely not rely on one-time campaigns that come and go.

Others like the "girl’s room” in schools only provide the products when children are at school, while on vacation, the girls go back to using pieces of cloths or other things.

Women who are not in school are also not targeted by this useful program.

In 2019, in a bid to ease the affordability of sanitary pads, the Government of Rwanda added them to the list of VAT exempted goods, something that was highly welcomed. However, this is not enough because some women still consider sanitary pads a luxury.

But how can period poverty be eradicated and who will solve it? Akimana urges the Government to make it easy for organizations like hers to at least help.

"I would encourage the government to make it easy for people who want to help. When we imported the raw materials, the consignment took around a month in MAGERWA, and there was much bureaucracy,” Akimana said.

She added that they paid tax that amounted to Rwf1 million, when they would end up supplying their products for free.

"They should look into it because we are all working to raise Rwandan girls and women,” she noted.

Sharon Mbabazi, the programme coordinator at SAYE Company ltd told The New Times that period poverty can be solved if everyone is involved.

"There needs to be a common understanding to address this problem and there needs cooperation from different stakeholders; the private sector, NGOs, and the Government itself,” Mbabazi said.

She added that SAYE opened up space where young women and girls meet to be informed on reproductive health, where they are also given menstrual hygiene products for free.

The Kigali Menstrual Station, as they call it, is located in Nyamirambo.

Later in July, the Love Centre and a faith based organization; Living Water Source Ministries will distribute reusable sanitary pads to a group of 100 vulnerable women in Kinyinya sector in Gasabo district.

"We keep searching for vulnerable people so we can reach out and support them. When we find them, we talk to Love centre and they make them (sanitary pads) and we supply them,”Umutesi Vedette explained.

Although the commonly used alternative for pads is clothes in Rwanda, the UNFPA reports that in some cases where girls and women don’t have access to menstrual products, they may resort to rags, leaves, newspapers or other makeshift items to absorb or collect menstrual blood.

This may lead to urogenital infections, such as yeast infection, vaginosis or urinary tract infections, when women and girls are not able to bathe and/or change or clean their menstrual supplies regularly, or when the objects they use aren’t clean enough or healthy at all.

Breaking the stigma

Menstrual hygiene products are only part of a healthy life for women. Another challenge women and girls face is the stigma around menstruation.

Both the Love centre and SAYE educate women and girls to make them understand that menstruation is not a taboo.

"In conversations we have with teenagers, we find that they are not well informed of the right products to use when one is menstruating,” Mbabazi revealed.

While this only shows that menstruation is not talked about- at least enough, period activists are on it.

"Sometimes people have money to buy sanitary pads but shy away from buying them. It would be better if we all broke the taboo brand on menstruation. I wouldn’t say it is something to not be shy of only, it is also a pride.

"Every Rwandan, official, teacher, and parent should inform and inform others about menstruation, how to keep hygiene while menstruating and making room for questions that may arise,” Akimana said.