In a recent article published by the Huffington Post, one of the biggest issues that women encounter in developing countries is how to to stay clean and access feminine products during their menstrual cycles. For most young women, their first period is a something to celebration. They are passing from childhood into woman hood, but for most of these girls in countries from Africa to South America, it becomes a monthly burden which is difficult to deal with on a monthly basis. If a girl does not have proper access to feminine hygiene products, it can have a number of devastating consequences, from health issues to education. If a girl does not have access to proper sanitation during her monthly menstrual cycle, she becomes more susceptible to various infections, such as but not limited to: urinary tract infections, toxic shock syndrome (a very serious and deadly infection caused by improper physical care), sepsis, and many other harmful issues. It also causes a great strain on their education. If these young, growing girls to not have feminine hygiene products, they are unable to attend school because there is no way to control their menstrual flow and keep it from becoming a messy and embarrassing issue in public during their classes. As a result, each month they are forced to stay home from school. Because of this, they slowly and steadily begin to fall behind their male peers in the class, ultimately completely undermining their education. It is important that they have access to these important and necessary products so they can lead healthy, unburdened lives.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/02/impoverished-girls-use-rags-for-sanitary-protection_n_1125215.html
It's surprising how something that we take so much for granted can actually have a huge effect on the futures of so many girls. The fix seems so simple; just supply subsidized feminine hygiene products to villages. However, we have to remember that while this is a cost-effective way to keep girls healthy and keep them in school, we still have a lot of logistics to plan out. For instance, where must the efforts be most concentrated, how to get them there, how to keep refreshing the supply, and so on.
ReplyDeleteIt is surprising that some of girls in poor countries do not have a proper access to feminine hygiene products. It is not only a problem that they are not getting it but the consequences that brings by not having a proper access to feminine hygiene products. It is even effecting these girls access to education that they fall behind many male students because they can't attend school while they are in the period. As we have learned for whole semester that preventing the problem is the most effective way in health issues than do something after the problem occurred. It is important to provide feminine hygiene product to women in these countries because it is the most cost-effective way to prevent a problem.
ReplyDeleteIt is a problem that shouldn't be ignored, but at the same time there are other problems to be addressed first. Many girls are denied education in the first place, or there are no schools that are within their reach, and many women don't have access to primary care. For women to be able to attend school even 3 weeks out of 4 can be considered a luxury when compared to the conditions many others face. However, if the structure is already in place to provide resources and care to a given area, feminine hygiene produces are very cheap to provide and NGOs should definitely provide them, as there is no reason to half-ass attempts at raising the standard of living. But there is little incentive to set up a supply route if it's just for these and a few other supplies.
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