Stakeholders working to improve women’s health have urged the government to increase access to sanitary towels in schools in order to improve menstrual health management.

Bridget Mukanyandwi, a teacher at Duha Complex School in Eastern Province’s Rwamagana District, said the budget allocated for pads was insufficient as not all girls can have access to them.

She said some students end up using rags because they can’t afford pads and the schools don’t receive enough pads for use by their students.

"If girls are in their monthly periods and have no access to pads, most likely they will miss school which will also affect their grades,” she said.

Around 2011, the teacher said, the government initiated girls’ rooms in schools where they can rest whenever they are hurting from cramps and provide some pads as well, though they were not enough.

Mukanyandwi said that most children start their periods around their primary five or at age twelve. She called upon parents to also play a role in telling their daughters about menstruation early enough and not leave it all to teachers.

She also noted that some parents, especially in villages, still hold negative cultural perceptions whereby they believe it’s a taboo to talk to their daughters about menstrual health, therefore calling upon them to break the silence and educate their children.

According to Jackline Mupenzi, the Advocacy and Policy Manager at Sustainable Health Enterprises, which invests in services to improve women’s health globally, the government allocates Rwf 300,000 for each school every term that is supposed to be used for sanitation which includes purchasing sanitary pads for students.

She said the money is not enough since some students don’t access the pads in their schools. Her organisation is planning to make less costly sanitary pads at Rwf 300 to boost access to the towels.

Mupenzi added that they came up with the idea after a survey conducted at FAWE Girls School a few years ago found that 36 percent of female students were reported to have missed school because pads were too expensive for them.

13 percent of the students interviewed during the survey had also missed school because the cloth rags they were using didn’t work well.

"If such is the situation among FAWE students, then the situation could be worse in village schools. More awareness needs to be raised on menstrual health management and provision of pads as well. Those on the market should also be made cheaper for easier availability for all,” she said.

Mupenzi noted that Sustainable Health Enterprises will start a pilot project in 10 schools in the Eastern region where they will provide easy access to sanitary pads at Rwf 300. One packet of sanitary pads costs between Rwf600 and Rwf1500 depending on the type of brand.

Female students have their say

Jolie Ishimwe, a 14-year-old senior one student at ESS Nyamirambo Secondary School, said she started her periods in her Primary five yet they taught them about this in primary six.

"There is need for more awareness about menstrual health even at home. Parents and other elders like aunts and big sisters should educate their young sisters about menstrual health. Some youth are also still shy about asking for pads because they think it isn’t something to talk about so the barriers should be broken,” she said.

Most students from poor families use rags according to Ishimwe who noted that pads are available in her school but may not be available to everyone at all times.

Eighteen-year-old Ange Nyinawumuntu  a Senior Five student of Duha Complex School, said she normally has access to pads in her school and a room where to shower from and rest if suffering from abdominal cramps.

But she noted that pads aren’t enough for all the students and remain too expensive in shops.

In 2010, Sustainable Health Enterprisesstarted an initiative to educate and advocate the making of sanitary pads from banana fiber to make it easy for school girls to access to sanitary towels.