SOUTH AFRICA-ZIMBABWE: Huge response to appeal to help restore women's dignity

HARARE, 23 Feb 2006 (IRIN) - 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.

[ENDS]