For a Zimbabwean woman being a member of a church group is as normal as having a family. The predominant religions are Protestant Christianity and Roman Catholic with 84.1% of the population following a denomination of Christianity. The African Independent Apostolic Church has over 1 million followers and is an interesting blend of local tradition with Christianity. Most of the members are women and whilst there is an inequality within the church that allows only for men to be leaders, the role of women in the church goes largely unchallenged. Wearing white is compulsory during church services to show purity, light and cleanliness. Polygamy and polygamous marriage is acceptable. There is an emphasis on healing within the church and, until recently, modern medicine has been mostly rejected. Virginity testing does still happen, and girls may be married off to older men with multiple wives.

According to Jules-Rosette (1987) women in the church are the bearers of the church’s belief system, even though they are not allowed to be church leaders and in fact the church’s belief system is what represses them.

The point of writing this is not to judge the Apostolic Church for its belief systems but rather to highlight the power of its voice and to understand the importance of religion in Zimbabwe and indeed, worldwide. The voice of religion speaks louder and to more people than any other. Men and women listen to and respond to church leaders.

If we are to create change in the field of menstrual health then what better way than to call upon the leaders of the Churches to acknowledge the importance of menstrual health on education, equality, good health and the environment. To support its members in achieving education and understanding around menstrual health and to help provide safe, sustainable product, such as the Viva Lily menstrual cup, that promote well being, confidence, freedom and happiness.

“Research has shown that 50% of girls aged thirteen and fourteen are sexually active in Chitungwiza, a suburb of Harare. With the family unit broken down, many young girls and boys are left largely unattended.” This, according to Wesley from YADT (Youth Aspire Development Trust) has had a direct effect on the lifestyle this generation of young people are now living. Sex, drugs and pornography are cheap and readily available.

Driven by peer pressure, social media and easy access to pornography through Whatsapp films, the young today are engaging in “Marathon Sex Parties”. These parties happen when parents are away, drugs, alcohol and a group of adolescent boys and girls get together at a house, lock the gate and “party” for as long as they can. Sex enhancer drugs, multiple partners and often no contraceptives are the norm.

Some of the family planning methods include washing the vagina out with Surf washing powder, pouring Fanta orange into the vagina or eating a seed of marijuana.  Abortion pills are readily available on the black market.

Wesley explained that in the 90’s drug abuse was mainly seen with the boys but today more girls are doing drugs than ever before, including ecstasy and bronco dilators.  He attributes much of the new behavior to the mixing of cultures through an increase in travel as well as the internet. 

There are the inevitable hot spots such as around the beer halls which are often packed with older men and younger girls. The girls are willing to sell themselves for a dollar in order to buy food, sanitary products or to go to school. There is one area where girls as young as ten are living as “dancers” with a “Big Mama” overseeing them. Many are orphans and all are just trying to survive. Sometimes the parents are simply unaware of what their daughters are doing and we were told that the girls are often the aggressors.

Of course this isn’t limited to the townships. Pool parties, experimental behavior, drinking, drug taking and a need to mimic what is seen on social media, in music videos, TV programs and other internet based forums is as prolific in the “leafy” suburbs.

 

Today children are bringing themselves up, in part through parent absenteeism but also because of their knowledge of the internet, smart phones and computers that allows them to hide much of their online activity. We simply don’t know what they are watching or who they are engaging with. 

As Wesley so eloquently put it; “Sometimes children have been made more vulnerable by the very rights we give them of freedom and privacy. Children have access to the internet but no guidelines or education. We give them more freedom and more privacy with no accountability. Where there are rights there also needs to be responsibility.”

And this is where YADT comes in. Having identified that young people, especially girls, are not getting the much needed sexual reproductive health education, Wesley started YADT in 2015 to address these issues. His dynamic team are dedicated to reaching as many girls as possible. He engages with Church leaders and organizations such as PSZIM to provide free family planning and condom distribution on a monthly basis. 

Wesley understands that, like most young girls, the girls here are not comfortable to discuss SRH (sexual reproductive health) or seek assistance with their elders present. The Amplify Change Project which he runs, is designed to increase communication between parents and children. 

So how does all this tie in to menstrual health and Viva Lily menstrual cups? Well, the simple fact is that girls need menstrual products and a discussion on menstrual health is not nearly as controversial as a discussion on SRH. Girls are very happy to learn about menstrual health and delighted to be given a long term solution to their monthly period. At the same time, it leaves them available to discuss other SRH issues and creates a forum of trust. As we have seen in many projects, discussing menstrual health and distributing Viva Lily cups, creates a unique opportunity for engaging in other subjects such as family planning and for identifying girls that are particularly vulnerable and may need further support.

The girls pictured here have all been identified as being particularly vulnerable and have been brought into the YADT program in the hope that with extra guidance and support they will be able to make better decisions and have a positive, bright future. We are delighted to be able to announce our partnership YADT and look forward to helping more and more girls in Zimbabwe through their amazing program.