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SOUTH
AFRICA-ZIMBABWE: Huge response to appeal to help restore women's
dignity
IRIN News
February
23, 2006
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=51882
HARARE - A staggering
response by ordinary South Africans to an appeal for sanitary pads
for Zimbabwean women, hit by shortages and rocketing prices, has
floored activists.
"The appeal was made by South African 5FM radio at the beginning
of the year. When we went to collect the pads this week - we found
every empty corner and space in their studio was crammed with sanitary
pad packets with little notes from families, mothers and even school
girls," said an emotional Lucia Matabenga, the first vice-president
of the Zimbabwe
Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU).
"We found notes which said this was an attempt to 'restore the dignity
of Zimbabwean women - we are with you'. We are grateful, we are
really grateful," she added.
A packet of 10 sanitary pads costs US $10 in Zimbabwe, where the
average salary ranges between $50 to $100 a month. "As the pads
are beyond the reach of ordinary Zimbabweans, women are using unhygienic
materials like old rags and even newspapers which will have long-term
effects on their reproductive health, particularly of Zimbabwean
girls," said Matabenga.
"It is inhuman," said feminist Isabella Matambanadzo. "The pieces
of cloth women are forced to use who cannot afford the sanitary
pads is an affront to their dignity.
"The country is also experiencing water shortages - so they have
a problem cleaning [the cloth] or even disposing of it, particularly
when at work."
On Thursday, ZCTU officials collected 19 mt of sanitary pads, part
of which had also been donated by the multinational Johnson and
Johnson, from the Congress of South African Trade Unions' (COSATU)
headquarters in Johannesburg. COSATU and other agencies are going
to organise the transportation of the sanitary pads to Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwean authorities are considering waiving duties on the consignment,
said ZCTU secretary-general Wellington Chibebe.
The imposition of duties had stalled an earlier initiative called
"Dignify a Sister" to bring in sanitary products by activist organisation,
Women of Zimbabwe
Arise (WOZA). "We found ourselves trying to raise funds for
the duties - which really defeated the purpose of our objective,"
said Jenni William, WOZA's national coordinator.
"The irony is that women farmers produce the country's cotton,"
noted Matambanadzo.
Zimbabwe is in the throes of a severe economic crisis as a result
of recurring poor harvests and the government's fast-track land
redistribution programme, which disrupted agricultural production
and slashed export earnings. The government blames unofficial sanctions
by western nations for the country's economic woes.
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