Over the past 20 years, women in Ghana have been increasingly entering the workforce. This is good news for the country as it is trying to reach the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically goal number two of zero hunger, by the year 2030. By empowering women in Ghana, the country might turn its zero hunger goal into a reality.
Female Entrepreneurship in Ghana
Women run around 46.4% of businesses in Ghana, making Ghana one of the most ambitious countries for female entrepreneurship. However, the traditional, patriarchal roles are still prevalent, confining women to household roles like housekeeping, tending to the children, food production and more. A lot of hindrances exist within the current system that inhibits women from entering the workforce. This includes land ownership rights, necessary training, time constraints and the inability to provide collateral for initial startups. Women are also limited in their ability to undertake tasks independently from male supervision. This is because of their limited education — males usually obtain higher education than their female counterparts.
Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture
Elsevier, a Netherlands-based information and analytics company that has an emphasis on scientific, technical and medical content, conducted a primary study observing women’s empowerment through working in the pineapple sector (horticulture plantations). The data set consists of 420 married couples living on plantations in Ghana and the results concluded that statistically, females who had employment had a positive impact on the overall household. Joint horticulture household results also showed that women had more of a say when it came to household decisions.
The income that women’s plantation jobs produced gave women more leverage and lessened the pressure on their spouses to be the sole providers for the family. Export-oriented horticulture not only plays a role in empowering women in Ghana but can help pull vulnerable populations in Ghana by employing them on these cash crop pineapple plantations. Additionally, it can help boost the country’s GDP, making the internal structure strong and autonomous.
Moreover, if Ghana puts more incentives in place for female entrepreneurship, the country might be able to move toward zero hunger. If women are able to contribute financially, households will not suffer from food insufficiencies due to the generation of an additional income. This needs to occur by prioritizing equitable education for women, equal access to credit and protection of women-run small businesses. This way, women will be more inclined to join the workforce without any of the previous barriers discouraging them from doing so.
Traditional Ideas
Even after securing a job, many in Ghana still hold women to traditional roles in the home and bear the extra burden of upkeeping a happy home life. It can be difficult to serve as both an entrepreneur and housewife, therefore, spousal support is necessary to create a more balanced home life. However, traditional values still remain strongly rooted in Ghanaian culture. As a result, community cooperation programs for mothers to provide meal sharing and child care within the vicinity of each other might be of great assistance for mothers starting out at their new respective jobs.
Malnourishment and Food Insecurity in Ghana
Malnourishment is an issue that goes hand-in-hand with food insecurity in Ghana. This is especially a problem specific to the rural areas where food insecurity is disproportionately higher than in metropolitan areas. As many know, inadequate diets can lead to a slew of health complications and a higher mortality rate. Therefore, nutritional literacy is a crucial aspect for women as they are the ones typically preparing the food in Ghanaian homes. Women also have the ability to spread the word in these small villages as community is a key part of Ghanaian culture.
Encouraging Nutritional Literacy Among Lower-Income Women
There are studies on the lives of lower-income women in rural areas, but they are few in number. A well-documented and successful study in Winneba, Ghana, analyses diets among high school students. The program included food selection skills, preparation and food management. The results indicated a positive correlation between nutritional literacy programs and diet choices, however, there is a lack of data on a larger pool of women. Having data on women from different demographics, such as diverse age groups, varying socioeconomic classes and differing education levels, could give more accurate results on the viability of nutritional literacy programs.
Cross-comparative studies from abroad on low-income women indicate a high success rate of these nutritional literacy programs in Ghana. The government needs to be more proactive in its implementation of these programs in Ghana as empowering women will have an impact on entire families and villages. In order to reach Ghana’s no hunger goal, the nation should start with educating women on healthy lifestyles.
The Potential of Backyard Farming
Additionally, observations determine that backyard farming could be of great help to alleviate the disparities in food security between rural and metropolitan regions. The different climates between the north and south bring about different crucial staples for Ghanaian cuisine. The process of truck farming helps to transport food items to different regions where grocery stores, restaurants and street markets can supply different food for purchase.
Small-scale domestic backyard farming is very easy and makes healthy foods very accessible, encouraging healthy eating while alleviating rural hunger. These practices will aid women in becoming self-sufficient as well as increase food security in insecure regions, further empowering women in Ghana.
Ghana is making progressive steps in empowering women: this is especially occurring in the work sector with women owning almost half of the businesses in Ghana. This, coupled with more business incentives and nutritional literacy programs, could really help the country reach its SDG 2 of zero hunger by the year 2030. Women prove that their ambitious involvements in the workforce are beneficial, overall empowering women in Ghana by giving them autonomy and independence that they never had before. Economically, this also helps alleviate the pressure on men to stand as the sole breadwinners; rather, men and women both contribute, creating a more symbiotic relationship where both parties can financially support the family.
– Mina Kim
Photo: Flickr
How Cell Phones are Combating AIDS in South Africa
South Africa has the world’s largest HIV/AIDS epidemic with 7.5 million people currently living with the virus. One of the main reasons why it has not been contained is a lack of testing. Less than 25% of the population has been tested in South Africa, where it is estimated that around 13% of people have AIDS. The lack of testing is caused by the negative stigma which still surrounds the virus, as well as the lack of access to reasonable testing and treatment methods. Now, cell phones are providing a new way for people with AIDS in South Africa to get tested and seek treatment. This is a massive step that may save millions of lives in the future.
Project Masiluleke
Project Masiluleke is an NGO providing these essential services in South Africa. It has developed multiple different steps to reduce the number of those affected by HIV/AIDS in South Africa. One of the main services is a program called SocialTxt which encourages people to get tested as well as refers them to medical guidance via text message. Texting is a valuable mode of communication because it is able to reach approximately 90% of the South African population. Since the implementation of this project, the number of daily calls to the National AIDS Helpline has tripled. Being able to easily access HIV/AIDS support services via cell phone has encouraged more and more people to seek help.
However, many South Africans still refuse to get tested because there is such a negative stigma around HIV/AIDS. This is a large part of why cases have continued to spread in South Africa. To help overcome this barrier, Project Masiluleke also provides users with self-testing kits. This way, people sign up for a kit via text message and then are able to take the test in total privacy. This method lets people feel more secure during the entire process and has encouraged many more people to get tested and seek treatment.
Cell-Life
Cell-Life is an NGO based in Cape Town, South Africa that seeks to help those affected by HIV by developing new technologies. They have developed several different texting services that send daily medication reminders. This organization also focuses on treatment literacy, which seeks to make people more aware of the resources they have to combat the virus. One of the most important things in the fight against AIDS is making sure people know they have support structures and can communicate with providers as well as other members of their community.
Moving Forward
Project Masiluleke and Cell-Life are great examples of new technologies bringing solutions to ongoing issues. NGOs taking advantage of widespread cell phone use to tackle the AIDS epidemic in South Africa are setting an example for other organizations and countries. Moving forward, these organizations and others must continue to use new technologies to increase access to resources and testing. Hopefully, with the help of cell phones, the spread of AIDS in South Africa will slow.
– Jackson Bramhall
Photo: Flickr
5 Ways France is Helping to Protect the Amazon
One of the organizations making a significant difference in protecting the Amazon is the Agence Française de Développement (AFD). This agency is a public financial institution that operates based on policy given by the French government. Its main objective is to fight poverty and promote sustainable development. Here are five ways France is helping to protect the Amazon.
5 Ways France is Helping to Protect the Amazon
Although the COVID-19 pandemic has temporarily paused some of the work that the AFD funds, it is nonetheless a major step for a big European power to support the Amazon. France and the AFD have set an example for the rest of the world through their work to protect the Amazon. Hopefully, other countries will also make saving the Amazon rainforest a priority of their efforts.
– Claire Brady
Photo: Flickr
Water Purification Technology In India Is Saving Lives
India has one of the highest poverty rates in the world, with more than two-thirds of its population living in extreme rural poverty. Although India has one of the fastest-growing economies, millions remain confined to impoverished villages and slums. To exacerbate the issue, 163 million Indian residents have long been plagued with an inability to access safe drinking water. Recently, new technologies and regulations have been put into place to improve water standards in the region and prevent the transmission of several waterborne diseases. Here are three ways that water purification technology in India is saving lives.
3 Ways Water Purification Technology in India is Saving Lives
Water purification technology in India is just beginning to bloom into a concerted effort to increase standards of living and elevate rural life to a higher level. Moving forward, the work of NGOs like WaterAid India must continue; however, the government must also make water safety a priority of its efforts. This will help ensure that India is able to provide more equitable livelihoods for all its citizens in the future.
– Mihir Gokhale
Photo: Flickr
Empowering Women in Ghana Can Reduce Hunger
Over the past 20 years, women in Ghana have been increasingly entering the workforce. This is good news for the country as it is trying to reach the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically goal number two of zero hunger, by the year 2030. By empowering women in Ghana, the country might turn its zero hunger goal into a reality.
Female Entrepreneurship in Ghana
Women run around 46.4% of businesses in Ghana, making Ghana one of the most ambitious countries for female entrepreneurship. However, the traditional, patriarchal roles are still prevalent, confining women to household roles like housekeeping, tending to the children, food production and more. A lot of hindrances exist within the current system that inhibits women from entering the workforce. This includes land ownership rights, necessary training, time constraints and the inability to provide collateral for initial startups. Women are also limited in their ability to undertake tasks independently from male supervision. This is because of their limited education — males usually obtain higher education than their female counterparts.
Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture
Elsevier, a Netherlands-based information and analytics company that has an emphasis on scientific, technical and medical content, conducted a primary study observing women’s empowerment through working in the pineapple sector (horticulture plantations). The data set consists of 420 married couples living on plantations in Ghana and the results concluded that statistically, females who had employment had a positive impact on the overall household. Joint horticulture household results also showed that women had more of a say when it came to household decisions.
The income that women’s plantation jobs produced gave women more leverage and lessened the pressure on their spouses to be the sole providers for the family. Export-oriented horticulture not only plays a role in empowering women in Ghana but can help pull vulnerable populations in Ghana by employing them on these cash crop pineapple plantations. Additionally, it can help boost the country’s GDP, making the internal structure strong and autonomous.
Moreover, if Ghana puts more incentives in place for female entrepreneurship, the country might be able to move toward zero hunger. If women are able to contribute financially, households will not suffer from food insufficiencies due to the generation of an additional income. This needs to occur by prioritizing equitable education for women, equal access to credit and protection of women-run small businesses. This way, women will be more inclined to join the workforce without any of the previous barriers discouraging them from doing so.
Traditional Ideas
Even after securing a job, many in Ghana still hold women to traditional roles in the home and bear the extra burden of upkeeping a happy home life. It can be difficult to serve as both an entrepreneur and housewife, therefore, spousal support is necessary to create a more balanced home life. However, traditional values still remain strongly rooted in Ghanaian culture. As a result, community cooperation programs for mothers to provide meal sharing and child care within the vicinity of each other might be of great assistance for mothers starting out at their new respective jobs.
Malnourishment and Food Insecurity in Ghana
Malnourishment is an issue that goes hand-in-hand with food insecurity in Ghana. This is especially a problem specific to the rural areas where food insecurity is disproportionately higher than in metropolitan areas. As many know, inadequate diets can lead to a slew of health complications and a higher mortality rate. Therefore, nutritional literacy is a crucial aspect for women as they are the ones typically preparing the food in Ghanaian homes. Women also have the ability to spread the word in these small villages as community is a key part of Ghanaian culture.
Encouraging Nutritional Literacy Among Lower-Income Women
There are studies on the lives of lower-income women in rural areas, but they are few in number. A well-documented and successful study in Winneba, Ghana, analyses diets among high school students. The program included food selection skills, preparation and food management. The results indicated a positive correlation between nutritional literacy programs and diet choices, however, there is a lack of data on a larger pool of women. Having data on women from different demographics, such as diverse age groups, varying socioeconomic classes and differing education levels, could give more accurate results on the viability of nutritional literacy programs.
Cross-comparative studies from abroad on low-income women indicate a high success rate of these nutritional literacy programs in Ghana. The government needs to be more proactive in its implementation of these programs in Ghana as empowering women will have an impact on entire families and villages. In order to reach Ghana’s no hunger goal, the nation should start with educating women on healthy lifestyles.
The Potential of Backyard Farming
Additionally, observations determine that backyard farming could be of great help to alleviate the disparities in food security between rural and metropolitan regions. The different climates between the north and south bring about different crucial staples for Ghanaian cuisine. The process of truck farming helps to transport food items to different regions where grocery stores, restaurants and street markets can supply different food for purchase.
Small-scale domestic backyard farming is very easy and makes healthy foods very accessible, encouraging healthy eating while alleviating rural hunger. These practices will aid women in becoming self-sufficient as well as increase food security in insecure regions, further empowering women in Ghana.
Ghana is making progressive steps in empowering women: this is especially occurring in the work sector with women owning almost half of the businesses in Ghana. This, coupled with more business incentives and nutritional literacy programs, could really help the country reach its SDG 2 of zero hunger by the year 2030. Women prove that their ambitious involvements in the workforce are beneficial, overall empowering women in Ghana by giving them autonomy and independence that they never had before. Economically, this also helps alleviate the pressure on men to stand as the sole breadwinners; rather, men and women both contribute, creating a more symbiotic relationship where both parties can financially support the family.
– Mina Kim
Photo: Flickr
The HIV/AIDS Epidemic in Maasai Villages
The HIV/AIDS Epidemic in Maasai Villages
HIV/AIDS infection rates are increasingly high and treatment rates are increasingly low. Of the affected 38 African countries, Kenya, the home of Maasai villages, is the fifth most affected country in the world. Maasai culture is greatly patriarchal, traditional and resistant to common health practices. Marriage practices, a fundamental aspect of the Maasai culture, gravely impact the Maasai village members’ health. Prior to marital relationships, most girls will have sexual relations with young warriors and such relations will continue even after the girls enter marriages. Immediately after reaching puberty, girls enter into marriages with older men with the goal of preventing childbirth out of wedlock.
Even after marriage, most women fear seeking testing or treatment as husbands may abandon their wives if the women test positive for HIV/AIDS. Because men provide financial support, housing and food, women, understandably, do not seek appropriate treatment.
In Kenya, more than 30% of newborns contract HIV/AIDS and approximately half of those children die before they reach 2 years old. The alarmingly high death rate is largely due to the fact that both the babies and their mothers do not seek proper diagnoses, let alone treatment. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) found that since the onset of the global HIV/AIDS crisis in 1981, 17 million children lost at least one parent from HIV/AIDS. Of those 17 million children, 91% live in sub-Saharan African countries such as Kenya.
Obstacles in Alleviating HIV/AIDS Rates
According to Doctors Without Borders, a fundamental obstacle posed by the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Maasai villages is the unavailability of health clinics. Because Maasai villages are independent of the country’s government rule, little effort is visible on the part of African or Kenyan government forces. Maasai villages are primarily controlled by a Laibon, a de facto leader of the village, who makes decisions regarding marriages, cattle, spiritual practices and health. Laibons primarily practice alternative medicine, leaving the communities with no access to HIV/AIDS treatment.
Even if there is a clinic close by, the clinic is unlikely to have HIV/AIDS treatments available. In addition to stigmas around testing, clinics do not have the antiretroviral treatments that are available in the United States. In implementing antiretroviral treatments within the United States, mortality rates have been reduced by more than 80%. But, such treatments can cost more than $9,000, which Maasai village members and clinics cannot afford. Furthermore, there are numerous legal barriers preventing the production and importation of antiretroviral treatment to Kenya, specifically in the rural areas of the Maasai villages.
Progress in the HIV/AIDS Epidemic in Maasai Villages
The HIV/AIDS epidemic in Maasai villages has extreme implications. HIV/AIDS most commonly affects the younger, more sexually active members of the village. Because the younger population is more physically able to partake in laborious work, the strenuous tasks that keep the villages operating cannot be completed if they are sick. Therefore, high infection rates lead to a decrease in social contribution. Without the help of younger Maasai members, the villages become vulnerable to instability. For both health reasons and the function of their villages, Maasai members will not be able to survive if Kenya’s infection rate remains higher than 4%.
Because progress is limited within the Maasai villages, many global aid organizations such as Adapt-A-Doctor and Kenya AIDS Intervention are paying physicians to practice in struggling countries. Additionally, Doctors Without Borders is extending its time in hotspot countries, such as Kenya, where it provides free counseling and testing to Maasai village members.
Through the efforts of external organizations and health associations, awareness of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Maasai villages is increasing. The help of such organizations in collaboration with Maasai villages will lead Maasai people to live healthier, safer and longer lives.
– Maya Sulkin
Photo: Flickr
5 Challenges for Children in Burkina Faso
5 Challenges Children in Burkina Faso Face
While children in Burkina Faso face all of these challenges, work is in progress to help them receive an education and reach their full potential. Save the Children, UNICEF, Action Against Hunger and Girls Not Brides are just a handful of the organizations working in Burkina Faso to ensure that these children receive the care necessary. Enduring childhood in this region is, in fact, difficult. Yet, there is hope as these groups work to improve the lives of children across Burkina Faso.
– Daryn Lenahan
Photo: Flickr
Blockchain-Based Land Registry in Honduras
Blockchain-Based Land Registry
Despite this, the rise of blockchain technology has brought about a potential solution to undependable land registry systems. Providing a secure system of digitized land titles does more than protect property rights. It also gives farmers the ability to borrow against their land assets to raise capital, which could be used to invest in their businesses and broaden their economic opportunities. Blockchain-based land registries can be used to protect Hondurans’ land ownership rights.
Land Theft in Honduras
In 2015, the government of Honduras reached out to Factom, a U.S.-based blockchain technology company, to develop a nationwide land registry system. This decision came in light of the growing threat of land title fraud in Honduras, which would often occur at the hands of bureaucrats hacking the existing government land title database to steal land for personal use.
In a country with rampant corruption and unsecured land registry systems, Honduran farmers are at risk of falling into poverty and displacement at the hands of government officials or powerful landowners seeking to broaden their commercial agricultural holdings. A secure system of registry built with blockchain technology would provide a solution to this problem.
Stalled Efforts in Implementation
Although Honduras reached out for assistance in building a secure system, by the end of 2015, efforts to develop it stalled due to the government’s unwillingness to continue the effort. Nonetheless, there is still hope for the eventual continuation of the project, as it has the backing of the World Bank and other international donors.
Blockchain-based land registry systems represent an optimal solution for Honduran farmers because of their unique security. These systems track transactions with a timestamped digital signature and store them in a connected, distributed array of computers scattered around the internet. The digital signature tracks the history of ownership, thereby making the land title unsusceptible to tampering. Furthermore, blockchain technologies can utilize GPS coordinates to describe the exact dimensions of each claimed land parcel and pair it with the digital ID of the owner. The result is a secure system that protects farmers’ rights to land ownership.
The Intersection of Tech and Poverty
Innovations in technology and the spread of internet access are crucial in the fight against global poverty. Blockchain-based land registry solutions enable farmers to protect their livelihoods and invest in expanding and diversifying their agricultural yields. As more farmers better their economic situations and poverty levels decline, the demand for consumer goods rises, which bolsters trade and the wider global economy.
Investing in solutions to global poverty, thus, entails a two-way path of rewards: developing countries are able to rise out of poverty and developed countries establish connections with new trading partners. When one country climbs out of poverty, every country benefits.
– John Andrikos
Photo: Flickr
USAID Provides $20 Million Worth of Wheat to Sudan
Diplomacy Opens Doors
The $20 million shipment of wheat to Sudan is part of an $81 million commitment from the U.S. to help Sudan fight poverty and hunger. This contribution will bring its total aid for the fiscal year to over $400 million, making the U.S. the largest aid sponsor to Sudan.
Sudan’s removal from the list of states sponsoring terrorism was contingent on Sudan’s recognition of Israel as a nation. After such recognition, Israel also sent a $5 million wheat shipment to Sudan.
Economic Lockdown Compounds Hunger Crisis
While Sudan has found recent diplomatic success, its plight as a nation remains dire. Nearly half of Sudanese people are in poverty, with 46% living under the poverty line as of 2018.
Roughly nine million people will need food assistance in 2020, up by 9% from 2019, as widespread poverty has been worsened by the effect of COVID-19 on the economy.
Further stress on already limited food resources comes from droughts, floods and conflict that has displaced nearly two million people, compounded with hosting one million refugees who need food assistance.
The rampant poverty in Sudan has led to extreme numbers of children suffering from hunger and malnutrition across the nation. The number of children facing emergency food insecurity levels doubled over the last year to 1.1 million. According to Save the Children’s country director in Sudan, Arshad Malik, “120 children are dying every day due to malnutrition.” Overall, 9.6 million individuals in Sudan are food insecure as a result of lockdown restrictions, a weak economy, natural disasters and conflict.
USAID Contributes to Disaster Relief
Although the weak economy has waned further from job losses and food prices soaring from economic restrictions, food aid remains the first priority for Sudan and USAID. Additionally, Sudan has suffered from its worst floods in 100 years, which has caused massive destruction due to vast underdevelopment. USAID granted another $60 million in aid for Sudan to recover from flooding and fight waterborne diseases that can spread during floods.
Foreign Aid Essential to Development
Sudan’s new democracy undoubtedly faces short and long-term obstacles with regard to the country’s development and stability. Natural disasters, economic woes, poverty and hunger, cripple an already struggling nation. The shipment of wheat to Sudan from USAID is crucial for helping the people of Sudan meet their daily needs and alleviating hunger and poverty. Extending the olive branch of foreign aid creates interdependence between nations and encourages peace and prosperity. Bringing nations such as Sudan out of poverty creates a more secure, just and prosperous world.
– Adrian Rufo
Photo: Flickr
The Book Fairies Advance Learning
The Book Fairies
Founded by Amy Zaslansky, The Book Fairies began in Long Island, New York, as an organization accepting new and used books that are donated to libraries and schools that lack funding for educational resources for children.
Developed in 2012, The Book Fairies has donated more than 130,000 books to 25 school districts and 100 organizations across New York. Now, the organization has expanded globally, donating over two million books to date.
Partnered with US-Africa Children’s Fellowship (ACF), a nonprofit that gives supplies to impoverished schools in Africa and refugees in Jordan, The Book Fairies provided 80,000 books in 2017 to ACF. Approximately, this figure accounted for 50% of ACF’s shipped donated books that year. Every year, the organization ships thousands of books to Africa.
The Book Fairies advance learning and literacy in underdeveloped global nations such as Africa, India, China, South America and the Caribbean Islands. Even with COVID-19, students in poor communities in the U.S. and abroad still have access to books due to the organization’s efforts.
Other Book Fairies Hiding Books Globally
The influence of this organization has spread. In 2017, a similar reading organization launched in Europe, also known as The Book Fairies. To be a book fairy, a person chooses a book that they have read and enjoyed, they then put an official book fairy sticker on it that reads “take this book, read it and leave it for the next person to enjoy.” Then, the book is hidden in public for someone else to find and read. This little tradition has expanded to almost 9,000 people sharing books in over 100 countries.
Actress Emma Watson is a notable book fairy. After starring in the 2019 film “Little Women”, the actress launched a Little Women campaign. A whole 2,000 copies of the book were hidden around the world, with a handwritten note from Watson herself that promotes The Book Fairies’ organization.
Alleviating Illiteracy and Poverty Through Books
The main missions of book organizations such as those above are to end the cycle of poverty by improving literacy. The Book Fairies advance learning by providing books of all kinds to poor communities and countries and give children a fighting chance to take themselves out of poverty.
– Shelby Gruber
Photo: Flickr
Combating Period Poverty in Pakistan
Period Poverty in Pakistan
Period poverty is a severe issue around the world and is especially prevalent in Pakistan. A large part of the problem exists as a result of the many taboos that surround menstruation. In Pakistan, menstruation is seen as making women impure and dirty.
As a result, Pakistan’s culture as related to periods has prevented the population from educating women on menstruation and proper hygiene. As such, period poverty in Pakistan extends beyond just the financial discrepancies that hinder women from having access to proper menstrual products and extends into a “social period poverty” wherein women are deprived of education about menstruation.
Misinformation of Menstruation and Hygiene Practices
U-Report found that 49% of young women in Pakistan have little to no knowledge of periods before their first period. Likely, more than 20% of young women will only learn about menstruation in schools.
The myths that exist around menstruation actively disempower women. Part of the issue is that menstruation can often be a sign of good health in women. Menstruation taboos prevent women from realizing underlying symptoms of health conditions.
Period poverty in Pakistan also results in misinformation about menstruation. Part of this is because information about menstruation is often kept away from women. After all, it is believed withholding information preserves women’s chastity. This incorrect premise often results in unhygienic and dangerous practices for women. Many women use rags and share these rags and menstrual clothes with family members. Sharing of these rags can increase the risk of urinary infections and other health conditions.
Innovative Programs Fighting Period Poverty
Recently, many people have taken the initiative to work toward mitigating period poverty in Pakistan. One such tool has been apps like Girlythings, an app that allows women with disabilities to get period products delivered straight to their door. Their products include an “urgent kit,” which contains essentials such as disposable underwear, pads and bloodstain remover.
Another such tool to fight period poverty in Pakistan has been initiatives like the Menstrual Hygiene Innovation Challenge. This project, launched by UNICEF WASH and U-Report, plans to encourage young men and women to pitch their projects to educate their local communities on menstruation. One such project taken on by this challenge was a three-hour live chat. During this live chat, around 2500 people asked questions about menstruation. This live chat not only began to break down the taboos that surround openly discussing menstruation but also increases everyone’s knowledge and understanding of menstrual health.
Period poverty is a prevalent problem in Pakistan. Affecting women from both a financial and a societal point of view, people must begin to change the conversation around periods to ensure that all women in Pakistan can access menstruation information and menstrual products. However, by harnessing technology and taking initiatives, citizens all around Pakistan can work toward mitigating period poverty.
– Anushka Somani
Photo: Flickr