Washable sanitory towels (pads)

Washable sanitory towels (pads) project is an initiative of AQHSZ Zambia (Advocates for Quality Healthcare Services in Zambia) being done in partnership with Wastemat Zambia LTD. This project is designed to help our young girls between the ages of 10 to 16 years, living in vulnerable communities such rural and remote areas, to have access to cheaper and affordable means of hygiene by training them to make own washable sanitory towels using local materials such as Chitenge material. Mostly in rural communities, majority of our young girls find it difficult to access these sanitary products due to financial constraints in these communities. Therefore, by training our girls in this manner, we will be equipping them with skills enough to maintain their health and hygiene just like those in urban areas who possibly can afford to buy these products with less difficulties.

The main problem that exists is lack of affordable, cost effective and cost reflective sanitary towels, the problem which mostly affect poor and vulnerable communities. Over 60% of girls in primary and secondary schools as well as those not in schools but within the ages of 10 and 16 years can not afford to buy these products due the costs involved. As such, their hygiene is seriously compromised hence affecting their healthy living. However, this problem requires concerted efforts to be able to help the affected girls in these communities so as to promote their health and hygiene.

Our solution is simple. It involves use of tailor made Chitenge material which is transformed into a washable and reusable sanitory towel (pad) by a tailor or by sewing with a needle. These then can be used by our girls and washed every after use. This way, they do not have to worry about spending much monies to buy these products.

Our target population is the girls between the ages of 10 and 16 years in Primary and Secondary schools as well as those not in schools but within the same ages and living in poor and vulnerable  communities. These girls mostly face difficulties in accessing affordable and cheaper sanitory towels to maintain their health and hygiene. Currently, a questionnaire is being developed which will then capture the full picture of how many have no access to these products. However, many surveys so far have shown that our girls in these communities do not have access to these products hence designing a cheaper way of getting them access such products.

The problem, the solution and our targeted population are well aligned to the challenge in that they are all centred on health security. By promoting the health and hygiene of our young girls, we are simply ensuring that their health security is well looked after in order to safeguard a future healthy generation, a generation that values hygienic and healthy living. 

The Organisations have picked on Chitambo and Mkushi districts of Central province as the pilot districts before rolling out to other districts and provinces. The expected population in these two communities is over 30,000 young girls.

Our solution is innovative as it is more than none before that has existed to promote use of own domestic materials to come up with such products of hygiene and health.

Currently we are looking at over 30,000 girls and in a year we will be talking about over 300,000 young girls. In the space of 5 years, closer to a million girls would have been reached. 

So far there is lots of progress and lots of hope that we will be able to use this projects to serve the vulnerable communities in some way.

So far the Organization has 6 people working on the solution. The organisation has an Executive Director who is assisted by 3 directors (one for programs and projects, another for Health promotions and last one for Finance), one manager for IT and M&E and lastly manager for communications.

1. The Executive Director for AQHSZ ZAMBIA, is a young medical scientist by protection who has held several positions in the medical field such as Assitant Director under SMUTH-MRU, Laboratory Manager (SMUTH-MRU), Research Scientist at University Teaching Hospital and Uiversity of Zambia and also he has served as President of the Biomedical Union of Zambia as well as field lecturer for Zambia Royal Medical University in Lusaka.

2. The Director for Projects and Programs is an expert in project management and holds a bachelor's degree in financial management. He has worked in several projects with the private sector with notable ones being USAID-MSI and GAVI funded projects.

3. Director Health promotions is a medical personnel with a bachelor's degree and a higher diploma in nursing services and has vast experience the health fraternity. 

4. Director Finance is a finance expert who holds a bachelor's degree in financial management and accounting and an MBA (financial accounting). He has served in several organisations in the capacity of director as well as chief executive officer of capital investments ltd.

Our currently approach remains teamwork and capacity building in the team working with the organisation.