Femme Focus – Page 5 – Femme International

International Day of the Girl Child

On October 11th, the United Nations will lead the world in a day dedicated to the girl child, and the theme for 2013 will be “Innovating for Girls Education”.

“The fulfilment of girls’ right to education is first and foremost an obligation and moral imperative.” There is overwhelming evidence that educating girls, particularly during their teenage years, is a transformative force in societies around the world – “it is the one consistent positive determinant of practically every desired development outcome, from reductions in mortality and fertility, to poverty reduction and equitable growth, to social norm change and democratization.”

No matter how you look at it, education is the most effective solution. The UN lists multiple tools and steps necessary to advance education amongst girls, such as improving transportation methods to help girls attend school, increasing the use of mobile technology for girls in rural areas, corporate mentorship and the revision of school curriculum to reflect a more positive view on women. The complete list of steps can be read here.

However, we noticed one glaring omission: the UN is not addressing menstruation.

Menstruation is the number one reason why girls in developing countries miss school. In Kenya, girls will miss up to 20% of the school year because they are unable to attend during her period. Around the world, only 12% of women have access to commercial sanitary products. The need for sanitary products is so great that women and girls will often turn to prostitution to earn the money to purchase pads. In urban slums, schools have no latrines for students to use, and residents must often pay to use the few public latrines.

The UN is right: educating girls at the secondary level is an essential and transformative component in the international development process, and we must ensure that we are removing all barriers. A girl’s body should not be a barrier to educational opportunities, and that is what Femme’s programs are dedicated to.

We believe that if these girls were given the knowledge and tools they need to manage their cycles, school attendance would increase as a natural result. We aren’t just saying this either, our trial projects in Nairobi have proved this.

Menstruation is one of the root causes of gender disparity, and the faster we break the destructive stigmas and taboos surrounding a woman’s body, the faster we can keep girls in school. To provide girls with the ability to manage their own bodies is to unleash a generation of strong, confident and healthy women.

Read more about the relationship between menstruation and development.

October 1, 2013/by Sabrina

Femme Focus

How to Make the Best of Your Period

It is no one’s favorite week of the month, but it just keeps on coming back. Managing your period is something that takes time to learn, and is different for every woman. During your period, your hormones are literally jumping all over the map, causing you to be extra emotional, crave food, sleep longer, bloat, and a whole list of other symptoms that often result in excessive chocolate consumption and wine drinking. We get it.

BUT, there are a few natural steps that you could take to make the best of your period each month! Certain foods and vitamins can reduce menstrual and PMS symptoms, hopefully making your week just a little but easier on you!

Did you know that eating iron rich foods such as kale will make your period pass quicker? Yeah, it really works.

Vitamin B6 is like a little miracle – it helps reduce menstrual related cravings, balances your mood, reduces water retention, and exhaustion. This can be taken in supplement form, or found in foods like turkey, fish, nuts, chicken, bananas and potatoes. Get as much Vitamin C as possible too!

Got Cramps? Does it feel like there is a little alien crawling around your Fallopian tubes? Period cramps can be crippling, and seriously affect your day. Pain medications are a good solution, but there are a few other methods that can help you feel better. Exercise will help ease your cramps, so as much as you want to curl up on that couch, don’t. Drink lots of water, and eat fiber rich foods – this helps rid your body of excess estrogen which will make your period much easier to deal with.

Hiding your Face? Stop. Drink some lemon water – this does wonders for your skin and will help clear up the annoying acne that accompanies your period each month. Try and eat foods rich in Vitamin A and D (baby carrots, spinach, watermelon), and keep some tea tree oil on hand. This is an incredible, all-natural product that is antibacterial and antiseptic, and can clear break outs overnight. Fact!

Beat the Bloat. Bloating during your period is like the icing on a really mean cake, I mean, really? This too? It’s true, some women retain up to 5lbs of water weight during menses. This is caused by female hormones, mainly estrogen, retaining water. If you are on birth control that has high levels of estrogen, you could talk to your doctor about switching it up. But there are other ways of beating the bloat. For one, avoid salty foods! Drink more water than usual, season all your food with oregano, and drink herbal teas – green tea is full of antioxidants and other good things, and it will help you feeling great!

Dealing with Cravings. Think your cravings are just a signal of poor willpower? Think again. There are legitimate scientific reasons why your body craves certain foods during your menstrual cycle. Your brain experiences a decrease in serotonin (the part of your brain that manages your mood), and it sends signals for foods that boost the serotonin levels. This includes sweets, and salty snacks like potato chips or popcorn – all things that will only increase the whole bloating thing, great. As hard as it may be, put down the chocolate. Unfortunately, alcohol and caffeine will only make things worse.
But there is hope! Complex carbohydrates (whole grains and legumes) and protein rich foods (turkey, peanut butter, fish) will help curb your cravings. Try eating smaller, more frequent meals, and don’t forget to exercise!

Staying Healthy! Try and watch your diet all the time – eat healthy foods, and avoid overloading on processed sugars on salt. This way, when that time of the month comes around again, your body will be better prepared to handle the onslaught of symptoms.

If your cycle is regular and you can predict when you period will start, make sure you are taking extra special care of your body in the few days leading up to your period. This absolutely does not mean to avoid the necessary things in life like chocolate, wine, and coffee, but maybe have a glass of lemon water, or just finish all the junk food in your house so you won’t have anything to grab when your cravings hit.

If any of your symptoms are extreme, talk to your doctor to make sure everything is okay.

August 2, 2013/by Sabrina

Femme Focus

Sanitation in Mathare

The Mathare Valley Slum

Sanitation is arguably the biggest problem facing residents of the Mathare Valley slum. Lack of appropriate facilities practically cripples its inhabitants, and severely disrupts daily activities. Any visitor to the slum is overwhelmed by the sights and smells of the community, and not in a good way.

There is no formal garbage collection or disposal system in the slum. As an “informal settlement”, there is no formal anything in the slum, with the entire area appearing as blank space on official maps. The lack of garbage collection means that the ground is layered in garbage, of all kinds. It piles alongside the main road, into the river, and becomes a feeding ground for goats, chickens, and stray dogs. Aside from the obvious and serious health concerns, the odor quickly becomes unbearable in the hot sun.

Perhaps the most severe sanitation issue in Mathare is the complete lack of toilets. In recent years, local MPs have built several latrine stations, but residents must pay to use them. That’s right, each time they need to use the toilet, its going to cost them 5KSH.

Since they realistically are unable to use the existing latrines, residents often relieve themselves in the narrow lane ways that snake between homes. Often a bucket will be used inside, and tossed outside when it is full. The “flying toilet” is one of the most common methods – do your business in a plastic bag, tie it closed and watch it fly. Again, the health concerns are severe, and water borne diseases are rampant.

The Nairobi River runs through the middle of the slum, and has become a dumping ground for ‘flying toilets’ and garbage alike. The water is a muddy brown, and yet people still wade through it to search for plastic or bits of metal that could be reused.

Now, let’s talk about menstruation and sanitation. Women create massive amounts of waste during their period when they use sanitary pads, and in places like Mathare, the only place for it to go is the River. Young girls and women face enough challenges living in Mathare, can you imagine what it would be like to have your period in such a place? To not have a latrine to clean yourself, or even a place to discreetly dispose of the evidence?

The issue of sanitation may be the most pressing issue faced by residents of Mathare, and it must be addressed immediately. To ignore the lack of toilets, water sources, and garbage disposal methods is to ignore their right to a life lived with dignity. Not only does the lack of sanitation create severe health problems, but it makes daily life that much more difficult.

July 30, 2013/by Sabrina

Femme Focus

Celebrating Malala Day

Yesterday, Malala Yousafzai turned 16 years old, and the world celebrated with her on the newly designated Malala Day.

She wore a pink headscarf that once belonged to the late Benazir Bhutto, Pakistant’s first female Prime Minister. Standing in front of over 1,000 students from around the world, and UN officials, Malala declared that education was the only solution to improving lives.

Born in Pakistan’s northwest province, Malala grew up in an area where the Taliban frequently banned girls from attending school. In 2009, at age 14, Malala wrote a blog post about life as a young girl under Taliban rule, and her wishes for education. The following year a New York Times film crew made a short documentary about her story. Malala’s fight for education grew, and she became a prominent education activist in Pakistan, winning her country’s first National Youth Peace Prize.

In October 2012, the Taliban tried to silence her, and she was shot in the head in a failed assassination attempt on her walk home from school. She remained in critical condition for weeks, before being flown to the UK for further medical attention. The Taliban continued to call for her death.

But the threats against her and her family’s life did not slow down this young woman. In fact, she used her high profile case as a platform to fight for a woman’s right to education. Now, barely eight months after her attack, Malala celebrated her 16th birthday by speaking at the United Nations Youth Assembly in New York City.

Her speech was a powerful reminder of the strength, courage, and hope that lives in the hearts of youth today.

She mentioned that she learned how to fight passionately and forgive graciously from the example set by Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Ghandi, Martin Luther King, and Mother Theresa, among others.

Education has never been a high priority for Pakistan. According to UN statistics, the Pakistani budget spends about $4.5 billion on its military, and less than $400 million on education. When families are unable to send their children to school, they often turn to the free madrassas, which often teach radical ideology that opposes the education of girls, fueling a cycle of misogynist violence.

“We call upon all the governments for free compulsory education, all over the world, for every child … Expansion of educational opportunities for girls in the developing world”

“Do remember one thing. Malala Day is not my day. Today is the day of every woman, every boy, and every girl who have raised their voice for their rights.”

Malala’s words were powerful, and delivered with a quiet, and passionate strength that moved listeners to tears. This is the beginning of a journey that will not end until every girl in Pakistan, and the world has the freedom and opportunity to attend school. World leaders are listening, and Malala presented Mr Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary General of the United Nations with a petition in support of 57 million children who are unable to attend school.

Happy Birthday Malala, you are an incredible inspiration to every student, activist, and leader in the world. Your courage in the face of unimaginable fear and danger has moved a generation to action. We wish you a wonderful year filled with as many successes as you deserve. May we all follow in your example, and continue the fight for education!

Read the full text of her speech here.

July 13, 2013/by Sabrina

Femme Focus

The 2013 G(irls) 20 Summit

The G(irls) 20 Summit was born out of unmistakable evidence that investing in girls and women is a key driver of economic productivity worldwide.

This year, the conference was held in Moscow, Russia, where the delegates discussed the “opportunities gained when business, economic and social policy is conceived of and structured in a way that maximizes a woman’s productive ability, and opportunities lost when global investment in girls and women is overlooked.” In short – the importance of investing in women, and ensuring they are able to participate in the economic market.

Three components were identified as critical to the economic advancement of women:

1.       Economic decision making
2.       Economic self-confidence and efficacy
3.       Access to critical economic resources

These factors can only become reality when women and girls have the freedom to achieve their potential. However, currently only one in five girls in developing countries are able to complete primary school, and according to the WHO, 39,000 child marriages occur every day. If this trend continues, women and girls will never be given the option of pursuing a career, or even an education.

The delegates of the summit outlined clear and attainable steps for world leaders to take to effectively reduce forced child marriage, and open up economic opportunities for women.

“It is imperative that governments worldwide, led by the G20 nations, acknowledge and take proactive steps to improve the potential for women to be economically viable in every society around the globe.”

Women can no longer be ignored and dismissed as intelligent and participating citizens of the world. Time and again it has been proven that women and girls are the catalyst to successful development, and the issue of economic independence is essential. Without

The delegates of the G(irls) 20 Summit outlined their recommendations for the G20 nations in an inspiring Communique published at the end of the summit. Their recommendations can be read in full here.

These young, powerful women are incredible examples of what can be achieved when the world listens to a woman.

July 3, 2013/by Sabrina

Femme Focus

Best Place in the World to be a Woman?

Today is Canada Day, and we are reminded again of how lucky we are to be women in this beautiful country. Canadian women enjoy rights and freedoms that most women wouldn’t even dream of.

But which country is the BEST country to be a woman?

According to the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap report, the top country for women is Iceland, and it has been since 2009. Scandinavia rounds out the top four with Finland, Norway and Sweden coming closely behind. Canada is currently ranked 21.

Egypt has the world’s smallest gender wage gap, only 18 cents. By comparison, Canadian women only earn 73 cents for every dollar a man earns, ranking us 35th. You may be surprised to learn that the country with the most female politicians is Rwanda, where women hold 45 of the 80 Parliamentary seats. Canada ranks 45th, as men outnumber women in politics by a ratio of 3 to 1. Only 27% of Canadian politicians are female.

Japan has the longest life expectancy for women, at 87 years compared with 79.2 years for Japanese men. Canadian women can expect to live about five years longer than men. In Afghanistan and Lesotho, women don’t expect to celebrate their 50th birthdays.

According to Forbes, China has the highest number of female billionaires, and Denmark has the most vacuuming men, where women only do about 50 more minutes of unpaid labour than men. In India, women will do up to five hours more unpaid labour each day than men. Women in India have significantly less access to paid work, but the study also noted than Indian men spent much more time sleeping, eating, and relaxing with friends.

Burundi has the highest number of women in the workforce, at 92%, and in Estonia, female professional and technical workers outnumber men 2 to 1! In Canada, 57% of professional and technical workers are women.

The safest place to have a baby in the world is Estonia, with the world’s lowest maternal mortality rate (2 for every 100,000). Chad is the most dangerous place to give birth, with 1,000 in 100,000 deaths.

Germany offers the best benefits to stay-at-home moms, allowing 14 weeks off at 100% of their wages. Both parents have the option of 3 years of parental leave in total. In Canada, parents are allowed 52 weeks of maternity leave in total.

According to a 2011 United Nations study, women in Georgia experience the least amount of sexual and physical abuse, at only 5%. Canada proudly came in second place in this list at 7%. In Ethiopia, these numbers are particularly high, with 71% of women experiencing physical and/or sexual abuse in her lifetime. 41% of women in Sierra Leone were beaten by their husbands for refusing to have sex.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, rape and sexual assault has become a weapon of war, and some reports state the as many as 80% of women (and men) in the Kivu provinces have been sexually attacked.

Women in French Polynesia can expect to stay single the longest, with the average age of marriage being 33 years. In both Mali and Niger, women will likely be married while still a teenager. Norway is the top country to live as a single mother, according to UNICEF. Romania placed last.

While Canada may not be the best in every category, women here enjoy incredible benefits, and are much luckier than most women and girls around the globe. Happy Canada Day!

July 1, 2013/by Sabrina

Femme Focus

The History of the Sanitary Pad

The sanitary pad is far and away the most widely used method of menstrual management. It is easy to use, easily accessible, and pretty straightforward. The pads we use today are made up of mostly synthetic, bleached material, but what were they like fifty years ago? And when were they invented?

Menstrual pads have been mentioned in history as early as the 10th century in Ancient Greece, where a woman is said to have thrown one of her used menstrual rags at an admirer in an attempt to get rid of him.

Before the disposable pad was invented, most women used rags, cotton, or sheep’s wool in their underwear to stem the flow of menstrual blood. Knitted pads, rabbit fur, even grass were all used by women to handle their periods.

The very first disposable pads were thought up by nurses, looking for new methods to stop excessive bleeding, particularly on the battlefield. The first pads were made from wood pulp bandages by nurses in France. It was very absorbent, and cheap enough to throw away afterwards. Commercial manufacturers borrowed this idea and the first disposable pads were available for purchase came as early as 1888 – called the Southball pad. In America, Johnson & Johnson developed their own version in 1896 called Lister’s Towel: Sanitary Towel’s for Ladies.

The problem was, women did not feel comfortable asking for this product, so in the early 1920s, the name was changed to Nupak, a name that did not describe the product.

Even though sanitary pads were available during this time, they were much too expensive for most women, and they continued using more traditional methods. When they could be afforded, women were allowed to place money in a box so that they would not have to speak to the clerk and take a box of Kotex pads from the counter themselves. It took several years for disposable menstrual pads to become commonplace.

The earliest disposable pads were generally in the form of a cotton wool or similar fibrous rectangle covered with an absorbent liner. The liner ends were extended front and back so as to fit through loops in a special girdle or belt worn beneath undergarments. This design was notorious for slipping either forward or back of the intended position.

Later, an adhesive strip was placed on the bottom of the pad for attachment to the saddle of the panties, and this became a favoured method with women. The belted sanitary napkin quickly disappeared during the early 1980s, thank goodness.

Over the last twenty years, the sanitary pad industry has advanced by leaps and bounds. Gone are the days of bulky belts and diaper-like thickness. With the invention of more absorbent materials and better designs, pads are more comfortable and practical than ever. The invention of ‘wings’ keeps pads in place in the underwear, and the invention of ‘scented pads’ reduces odour.

Sanitary pads are the most widely used form of menstrual management, but they are still overpriced, particularly in developing countries.

Donate Now

Make a secure online donation today to help provide schoolgirls in East Africa with access to reusable feminine hygiene products, and essential health education!

June 24, 2013/15 Comments/by Sabrina

Femme Focus

Meet Rachael: Femme’s Field Coordinator

Meet Rachael Ouko, our fantastic and inspiring field coordinator in Nairobi. As Field Coordinator, Rachael helped us organize our pilot project in Mathare, as well as coordinate the three schools in which Femme is currently involved with. Her help and dedication is making Femme possible.

I first met Rachael in the summer of 2012, and we hit it off right away. This dynamic young woman was already working for The Mwelu Foundation, and had also begun an informal girls group making jewelry to help raise money for sanitary supplies. When Femme was born, I knew I wanted to work with Rachael, and with her girls in Mathare.

Here, she shares her insights and experiences about growing up as a woman in Mathare.

What was it like to grow up in Mathare?
Mathare is a fun place to be just like they say home is home. Growing up is in Mathare is a bit challenging especially for a girl am talking from my own experience. There is a lot of peer pressure and no one to give you advice and if there are a few who can give you advice they don’t give it in good way. Lack of proper security, poor sanitation not to talk of poverty, everyone needs good things maybe that’s the reason why there is so much insecurity. Now I’m all grown up and I totally agree if someone says Mathare is not a place to bring up a child.

When did you get your first period?
I was in class six when I first had my first period and I was living with my grandma who had no money to buy me sanitary pads so I improvised my own. I took two of my pants and made them in a way I could put it on for the whole day. Worst moments.

Who do you live with?
Used to live with a friend but now moved in with my boyfriend for some time.

Tell us about your work with The Mwelu Foundation?
I become involved with Mwelu Foundation when I just finished my high school and had no college fee, no job – that was when Mwelu was started. Luckily I was chosen to be trained on photography by Julius Mwelu who is the founder. Up to now I work as the administrator and finance manager for Mwelu.

What do you like to do on the weekends?
On weekends I like watching latest movies. If no movie I spend more time with girls talking about new experiences in life.

Tell us about the girls that you work with.
The girls group was started when I saw that more girls were joining Mwelu foundation after sometime they get bored and leave, so I thought I had failed because all boys were there but no girls and only the boys were interested in taking pictures and making films. Most girls left the organization and are now mothers which made me sad. I came up with this idea of making beads to keep them in the organization, which they were so happy about and after selling these beads we would sell them and buy sanitary pads for all the 20 girls.

What is the hardest part about living in Mathare?
The hardest thing about living in Mathare is poor sanitation and insecurity.

What is the best part about living in Mathare?
The best thing about living in Mathare is that people are very friendly and the houses are cheap.

What do you think about Femme’s programs?
Femme’s project is the best thing that has happened to me, to Mwelu Foundation girls and the schools we are working with in Mathare. It will be a big help to Mathare girls since most parents are not able to talk to their daughters about reproductive issues not to mention buying them sanitary pads. With Femme project I feel that my passion of working with girls is being achieved and I pray that this Project will grow to a big one and cover so many regions in Kenya.

Please visit The Mwelu Foundation to learn more about their work in Mathare.

June 18, 2013/by Sabrina

Femme Focus

Female Empowerment. Why Menstruation is Key.

In the past decade, development has begun to focus on female empowerment. It has become about educating female children, creating female community leaders, and watching the national economy grow as a direct result of female empowerment.

Menstruation is one of the most significant public health issues in the world and the single largest obstacle to female empowerment, and yet, it is an issue that is shockingly under-addressed, under-funded, and under-discussed. It is the last taboo in both industrialized and developing societies.

Let me explain.

In Kenya, a girl will miss an average of three days of school each month because of her period. This is because she is unable to purchase appropriate supplies to manage her body, or because she is taught to be ashamed of this natural aspect of her femininity, or because she is scared of being teased and mocked by her classmates. This increased absenteeism leads to increased drop-out rates, and fewer girls having the opportunity to excel academically and attend secondary or post-secondary school.

When a girl is unable to purchase sanitary pads, she resorts to alternatives such as rags, mud, newspapers, bits of her mattress, leaves, and even used sanitary pads she might find in the garbage. Needless to say, these methods are not only ineffective but also put her health at risk, potentially causing a variety of infections and disease.

It gets worse.

In the Mathare slum in Nairobi, it is estimated that at least 50% of women trade sex for pads every month. Girls as young as twelve or thirteen years old take economic responsibility over their bodies and move to the streets, all for a package of sanitary pads priced at 65KSH (approximately one Canadian dollar).

The relationship between menstruation and poor development is painfully obvious: when girls are continually made to miss school, sell their bodies, or hide in shame for one week out of every month, the overall gender disparity of the society is increased. Why is it that such an essential resource is so unattainable for the majority of the population?

Femme’s programmes in Kenya focus on educating school-aged girls on menstrual health – what happens to their bodies, and why. We also teach them safe and effective methods of managing their period, and provide them with sustainable resources and safe spaces to talk about their bodies and ask the questions they need to ask.

So long as girls are unable to manage their own bodies in safe and effective ways, the gender disparity will continue to exist. By educating women, and providing them with sustainable access to health resources, we are unleashing a generation of educated and active citizens, enabling them to take control of their bodies and achieve their potential.

A woman’s biology should not be a leading cause of her own oppression. Period.

June 7, 2013/by Sabrina