Becky Johnson on Facebook, part of the Hadamayaa group, says “Will you donate £6 to buy a woman in The Gambia a Mooncup and give her the gift of sanitary protection – something we take for granted? Over 50 women pleaded with me in July to bring them a Mooncup each. Help me make this possible.”
I have checked that the women for whom the funds are being raised have access to clean water and facilities for cleaning their cups. Back when ACTSA: Action for Southern Africa first had their Dignity! Period campaign going on for Zimbabwean women, some people complained that the women were being given pads rather than reusables. The worry then was that water and soap were in such short supply that the cups/sea pearls/reusable pads wouldn’t be able to be cleaned properly, introducing more problems for the women. I have been assured that the women involved here are able to clean their cups safely.
If you can spare six pounds (approximately ten US dollars), you could provide a woman with the freedom that comes with having adequate sanitary protection. If you’d like to help out, you can go to this page to donate via PayPal, or contact Becky at her Facebook page (linked above) to donate another way.
Update: I have had clarification from Becky on the concerns raised in comments.
“In The Gambia, not all tribes practice FGM, and those that do remove the clitoris. The women I work with are all able to give birth naturally and therefore will obviously be able to insert a cup. Mooncup were very thorough about checking exactly what the circumstances of the women I work with are – including that the girls who are not yet married will not be able to use the cups as they must have their hymen intact for ritual purposes on their marriage night and that any women with fistulas will not able to use the cup… can I just clarify that it is MOST of the tribes who only remove the clitoris, but some do practice the FGM where the vagina is sewn closed. However, everything is explained to the women first, healthcare workers will be present at every distribution meeting and will be available to the women throughout their using the cups so there really should be no issue. I am not forcing anyone to use the cups, merely providing the option to those who can and want to use them.
How do they account for the high rate of FGM in Gambia which means a lot of women there simply won’t be able to insert the mooncups? It sounds like the sort of well-meaning suggestion that really hasn’t been thought through – a case of Western White Woman’s Privilege slipping in there perhaps.
Well the women in question have asked for the cups – as in they understand what cups are and how they work, and have requested them. I’d think it wouldn’t be an issue seeing as they’ve asked for them themselves? I will check with Becky though.
I had a look on their Facebook page – apparently they only spoke directly to 10 women? I’m sure it would be common sense to check all these things out, though. I’m still curious as to why they went for cups rather than washable pads.
I’ve updated with Becky’s response.
Oops, sorry, that was meant to be in reply to your reply to my comment!
Please see the update in the post for answers to your concerns.
Thanks for the clarification!
It’s a lovely idea. But. The FGM rate in Gambia is between 60% and 90%. Has this project actually checked that the women concerned will be physically able to insert the cups? Especially since Mooncups are among the less flexible cups, and harder to insert than many of the alternatives. We’re also concerned that the sanitisation problem you report from a previous project has not been completely resolved.
Just to let you know I’m not ignoring this comment, I’ve contacted Becky about your concerns and am awaiting her response.
In The Gambia, not all tribes practice FMG, and the majority of those that do remove the clitoris (clioridectomy). Mooncup were very thorough about checking exactly what the circumstances of the women I work with are before approving my application – including that the girls from certain tribes who are not yet married will not be able to use the cups as they must have their hymen intact for ritual purposes on their marriage night and that any women with fistulas will not able to use the cup. I will also be training two healthcare workers in how to use the cup before they are distributed to the women so that they have trained professionals to help them if they have any concerns. Mooncups can be cleaned by wiping them or washing them out with water. The women have access to a communal tap and collect fresh water several times a day and will use this to clean their cups.
Using rags for sanitary protection is a problem because of its inefficiency – leakage is the norm, and causes girls to miss up to a week of school through embarassment.
And, of course, no woman is obliged to use the cup. If she feels that it is not suitable for her, she can carry on using her current method if she prefers.
I understand your concerns, but please rest assured that both myself and Mooncup would not undertake this project if we thought it would not be suitable.
Glad to hear they’ve looked into it. I’m still not sure whether access to communal water is enough for sterilising a menstrual cup, to be honest, although that possibly may be solved by supplying some sterilising tablets as well. Also, I was asking about cloth pads, not rags! I’ve used both cups and reusable pads for years, and a well-made pad does not leak, providing it is changed in time (which means a reasonable stash). It sounds like a combination of both might be good for this community, considering the issue about unmarried women not being happy to use cups and that not everyone gets on with a cup anyway. Has the project considered contacting any pad makers/manufacturers?