Girls of Bwiam Need Your Help

Help Empower Girls of Bwiam, The Gambia
 
“I feel like vomiting when I wash my bloody menstrual cloth because of the smell,” a junior school female student in Bwiam.
 
My name is Fatima Al Rashed, and I am a rising junior at the University of Pennsylvania. I am a pre-med student pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Biology and a certified Emergency Medical Technician. Last summer, I was a general hospital intern at Bwiam General Hospital in The Gambia, West Africa. Growing up in Iraq, I know what it means to live under the lack of basic life needs, therefore, my goal has always been to provide vital services for people in developing countries and improve their life quality. In Bwiam, I conducted research on menstrual hygiene management (MHM) because I have a great interest in women’s health, and I am very passionate about empowering young females. An important milestone in a girl’s transition to womanhood is menarche. Menstrual management refers to managing menstrual flow and also continuing regular activities like going to school, working, etc. Women around the world have developed various strategies to manage menstruation depending on the country, economic status, individual’s personal preferences, local traditions, cultural beliefs, and education status. Ineffective menstrual hygiene amongst women and girls can have negative impact on their health, education, and future prospects. Imagine being a teenaged girl and not being able to go to school for a number of days every month due to menstrual pain and the lack of access to necessary resources such as menstrual materials to absorb menstrual blood, private place to wash, change and dry re-usable menstrual materials, adequate disposal system for menstrual materials, and education about menstrual health management. This is what female students in Bwiam have to deal with.  
 
With the help of community health nurses and recent high school graduates, we visited St. Edwards Upper Basic School, the public junior school in Bwiam, and Fatima Senior Secondary School, the public senior school in Bwiam. We asked more than 108 females students a group of questions compiled in a questionnaire I have designed to assess menstrual hygiene management among young females in Bwiam. We found that more than 60% of females use reusable cloth to manage their menstrual flow and only a few use pads because purchasing sanitary pads every month is a financial burden on many of them. Almost all of the students we interviewed do not work, and they receive 10 Dalasi (20 cents) per day for lunch from their guardiancies; they simply cannot afford two packs of sanitary pads for 100 Dalasi (two dollar) every month. Those who use sanitary pads either skip lunch and use their lunch money to purchase pads or receive them from their sister or a relative who works at a hospital and has access to the maternity ward. When we asked why do you use cloth instead of sanitary pads, one female student answered: “I prefer to use pads because they are more comfortable, and they do not hurt me like a cloth does, but I do not have the money to buy them.”


We also found that most of the girls are aware that maintenance of hygiene is very important during menstruation, yet they simply do not have the resources to practice good hygiene. In addition to the lack of sanitary pads, students do not have access to private sanitary facilities. Almost all of the students said that they are not comfortable with using the school toilets because of inadequate water supply, hand-washing sites, and a waste disposal area. The school toilets are simply a hole in the ground. Therefore, in each month, more than 84% of students miss school for a few days during their menstruation because they have to change and wash their menstrual cloth almost every two hours since cloth is not as absorbent as a sanitary pad and very uncomfortable to wear during a school day. Those who do not miss school, they go home during their break to wash and use the toilet.


With the help of my friends, I created an educational class on menstrual hygiene awareness and management as well as menstrual taboos. We have delivered the class to the female students at both the junior school (which is grade 7 and 8) and the senior school (which is grades 9-12). However, young girls in Bwiam are in need for more than an educational class on menstruation and personal hygiene. They need our help and support.
Our goal is to build a menstruation-friendly environment through:
·     Educating students, teachers, and families on menstrual hygiene and management. 
·     Building school toilets that are supplied with water, a hand washing area, and a waste disposal area
·     Supplying reusable sanitary products 
It is very sad to hear a 7thgrader say:“I feel like vomiting when I wash my bloody menstrual cloth because of the smell.” She is too young to have to worry about washing cloth and suffer from irritation, sensitivity, and infections due to unsterile menstrual cloth. Especially young females, they are shy to dry their menstrual cloth in the sun, therefore, they keep them in humid areas such as their rooms leading to the growth of bacteria and development of infections.
 
I am a college student, and unfortunately, this is not a project that I can fund myself. However, with your help, we can achieve this goal. All of your donation will go to an amazing cause. I ask you to please join me in empowering young girls of Bwiam. Let’s end menstrual shame and the suffering that young school girls experience every month. Menstruation is a normal part of womanhood and should not be a distraction to a female student and a reason to drop out of school and stay at home giving up on all of her dreams.
Please remember that $1 can supply a female student with a pack of sanitary pad for a month. Many blessings and great thanks to all who are able to contribute in any way.

The first part of this project is building 6 toilets that are supplied with hot water, hand washing areas, and waste disposal areas at the Fatima Senior Secondary School. All materials needed to build the toilets will be purchased in The Gambia to support local manufacturers as the majority of the population in The Gambia does not reach the annual income that covers their basic needs (as of 2017, the Gross domestic product for The Gambia is 1.015 billion USD). Because sustainability is an important characteristic of this project, solar panels will be used for the water heaters and to provide electricity for the toilets. Power Up Gambia will provide full support for the solar power component of the project including providing solar equipment and matching resources. The estimated total cost of the project is 10,000 USD, each complete toilet costing 1500 USD.