South Africa Menstrual Health Snapshot
In June 2022, Days for Girls International (DfG) announced the first installment of a brand new project, the Menstrual Health (MH) Country Snapshot report. The intention behind the creation of this new project was to provide MH advocates and organizations with high-level research on the MH conditions in individual countries in a digestible format. The reports are informed by MH experts and examine the status of individual countries’ MH policies, rights and challenges.
The first wave of Snapshots included reports on Kenya, Uganda, and Malawi, and were published in collaboration with Irise Institute of East Africa (IIEA) and WASH United. Following the success of these initial reports, DfG announced a second wave of Snapshots in November 2022. The second wave of reports included in-depth research on the intricacies of MH conditions in Rwanda, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.
Now, DfG and WASH United are excited to announce the latest installment of the third wave of reports, a MH Country Snapshot on South Africa!
Our research, supported by leading MH experts in South Africa, yielded crucial insight into the realities of MH challenges in the country, as well as the recent progress that has been made toward menstrual equity.
Below are three highlights from the South Africa Snapshot:
- In South Africa, an estimated 60% of women and girls do not have access to menstrual products according to Water Information Network, South Africa.
- In 2018 and 2019, the South African government allocated approximately $4.7 million and $9.3 million, respectively, to provide MH products to low-income individuals.
- In 2019, the Department of Women, Youth and People with Disabilities drafted the Sanitary Dignity Implementation Framework to improve MH conditions.
These are just a few examples of the pivotal findings in the South Africa Snapshot, which we are excited to share.
Through the continuation of the MH Country Snapshots, DfG and WASH United aim to continue sharing critical research and contextualizing the differing realities of MH across the world in order to achieve menstrual equity for all. Coming Soon: Ghana’s MH Country Snapshot
Read the South Africa MH Country Snapshot HERE.
