{"id":983,"date":"2024-07-02T15:58:25","date_gmt":"2024-07-02T18:58:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/34.39.255.174\/?p=983"},"modified":"2024-08-21T13:25:59","modified_gmt":"2024-08-21T16:25:59","slug":"menstrual-period-poverty-cameroon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ayni.mascomunidad.org.ar\/en\/menstrual-period-poverty-cameroon\/","title":{"rendered":"POBREZA MENSTRUAL EN ZONAS RURALES DE CAMER\u00daN"},"content":{"rendered":"

Por Maire Claire, KujaEcoPads, Bamenda, Camer\u00fan<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ten\u00edamos una cita para encontrarnos con una l\u00edder de la comunidad que nos ayudar\u00eda a realizar entrevistas en el campo. Al llegar, caminamos con ella por el pueblo, y me llam\u00f3 la atenci\u00f3n una ni\u00f1a peque\u00f1a, y con el permiso de la l\u00edder comunitaria, me acerqu\u00e9 a conversar con ella.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Estaba emocionada y dispuesta a compartir su historia, pero no hablaba bien ingl\u00e9s. Pero conseguimos a un profesor de franc\u00e9s en el pueblo para que la entrevistara.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Su nombre es Lisa. Es una ni\u00f1a hu\u00e9rfana de 15 a\u00f1os que vive con su abuela, quien vende verduras para ganarse la vida. Lisa usa una hoja de pl\u00e1tano durante su periodo porque su abuela no puede permitirse comprar compresas.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lisa representa a decenas de miles de ni\u00f1as en las comunidades rurales de Camer\u00fan que enfrentan la misma falta de acceso a productos de higiene menstrual.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seguimos caminando y nos encontramos con otra ni\u00f1a que pudo compartir lo que usa, pero era demasiado t\u00edmida para la c\u00e1mara. Ella corta la ropa vieja de su madre y la usa durante su periodo.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

En nuestro camino de regreso, vimos a las ni\u00f1as haciendo fila para usar el ba\u00f1o de la escuela: esto nos impact\u00f3 much\u00edsimo.Le ped\u00ed al director de la escuela que me dejara entrevistarlo, y nos coment\u00f3 que eso era lo mejor que pod\u00edan ofrecer a las estudiantes y que usaban lavandina para desinfectar cuando pod\u00edan. La pobreza menstrual es real.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A trav\u00e9s de todos los aprendizajes e intercambios del Programa de Innovadores Locales, esperamos contribuir con nuestro peque\u00f1o granito de arena para erradicarla de una vez por todas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nuestros puntos focales hicieron anuncios en sus grupos de reuni\u00f3n local sobre la visita del equipo de KujaEcoPads. Fuimos c\u00e1lidamente recibidos en cada barrio con una comida tradicional y vino de palma, acompa\u00f1ados de sonrisas y abrazos.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Los grupos focales y las entrevistas resultaron ser muy efectivas para nosotros. Nos sentamos con mujeres y madres adolescentes entre los 15 y 29 a\u00f1os.Al principio, eran todas muy t\u00edmidas y reservadas cuando anunciamos nuestro tema de discusi\u00f3n. Sin embargo, les contamos historias de experiencias del primer ciclo menstrual y otros rompehielos que las animaron y las hicieron sentirse c\u00f3modas para compartir sus propias historias.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Este aspecto particular de la Misi\u00f3n 2 del PIL, visitar los campos para validar hip\u00f3tesis, fue una revelaci\u00f3n absoluta. Es totalmente diferente de lo que encontramos en los libros o escuchamos de otras fuentes.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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El recorrido fue incre\u00edble, caminando con mi equipo en la comunidad y conociendo nuevas personas y formas de vida. Sin embargo, dejamos el campo asombrados, conmocionados e incr\u00e9dulos ante el nivel de crueldad que se inflige a las mujeres y ni\u00f1as menstruantes en las comunidades rurales en el siglo XXI.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

La pobreza menstrual necesita ser erradicada y pronto. Las mujeres y ni\u00f1as merecen dignidad. La menstruaci\u00f3n tambi\u00e9n es un derecho humano, y los derechos de las ni\u00f1as son derechos humanos.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Por Maire Claire, KujaEcoPads, Bamenda, Cameroon<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ENG

THE SILENT STRUGGLE: MENSTRUAL PERIOD POVERTY IN RURAL CAMEROON<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We had an appointment to meet a leader in one of the villages we would be visiting next for interviews. While taking a walk with her in the village, this little girl caught my attention and I asked the community leader if I could have a conversation with her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She was excited and open to sharing her story but couldn’t speak English very well. So we got a French teacher in the village to interview her. Her name is Lisa. She’s a 15-year-old orphan living with her grandmother who sells vegetables to make a living. What Lisa is holding is a banana leaf which she uses to pad herself during her monthly period because her grandmother cannot afford money to buy sanitary pads for her.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

She’s one but represents tens of thousands of girls in rural communities in Cameroon who share the same plight of lack of access to affordable sanitary pads.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Another girl we met was able to share what she uses but was too shy for the camera. She cuts her mother’s old clothes and uses them during her period. Her mother who is an IDP can not afford money for sanitary pads. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Worst part part that caught our attention also was this school toilet.  We saw this on our way back with girls lining up to go inside and use it. I begged to interview the principal of the school. He said that’s the best they can provide to the students, and they use bleach to sterilize the latrine. Period Poverty is real. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Through all the learnings and exchanges from the LIP, we hope to contribute our little quota in ending it once and for all. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We kicked off our field visit officially and I bet it was much more fun than we could’ve ever imagined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We were led by focal points we already set up in each quarter. Our focal persons made announcements in their local meeting groups that a team from KujaEcoPads would be visiting. We were warmly welcomed in each quarter with a traditional meal and palm wine with smiles and hugs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Focus groups and interviews worked best for us. We sat down with women and teen mothers between the ages of 15 to 29.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They were very shy and timid once we announced our topic of discussion. But we used storytelling (first period experiences) and other interesting icebreakers which awakened and got them all excited and comfortable to share their own stories.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This particular aspect of Mission 2 of the Local Innovators Program, visiting the fields to validate hypotheses, is an absolute eye-opener. It’s totally different from what we find in books or hear from other sources.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The tour was amazing, walking with my team in the community and seeing new people and ways of life. But we left the field in awe, shock, and disbelief at the level of cruelty that is being done to menstruating women and girls in rural communities in the 21st century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Period poverty needs to be eradicated and soon. Women and girls deserve dignity. Menstruation is a human right too, and girls’ rights are human rights.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Maire Claire, KujaEcoPads, Bamenda, Cameroon<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n