AHF Lesotho empowers girls on World Menstrual Hygiene Day

LINEO MALATALIANA

MASERU – In a significant move to support adolescent girls and combat period poverty, Aids Healthcare Foundation (AHF) Lesotho marked World Menstrual Hygiene Day by distributing essential sanitary towels and hygiene kits to young girls across the country.

The initiative directly addresses a critical barrier to education and health faced by many girls in Lesotho: the lack of access to safe and affordable menstrual products. Without these essentials, girls often miss school during their periods, impacting their learning and future opportunities, and face increased health risks.

Providing sanitary towels is fundamental to upholding the dignity, health, and education of young women, has been on the AHF agenda they have shown commitment to breaking down the stigma and practical challenges surrounding menstruation.

This distribution ensures girls can manage their periods safely and confidently, allowing them to stay in school and focus on their futures.

The distribution of sanitary towels and complementary hygiene essentials is a key part of AHF Lesotho’s broader mission to improve health outcomes and promote gender equality. The event highlighted the ongoing need for sustainable solutions to menstrual hygiene management, ensuring no girl is held back simply because she menstruates.

Menstrual hygiene has been a challenge for many a woman particularly school age-going girls who find themselves missing school on days of their period.

World Menstrual Hygiene Day was first celebrated commemorated in 2014 as an attempt to raise awareness that investments in menstrual health can have transformative impact on the lives of girls and women.

This was done in line with this year’s theme; “Together for a period friendly world.”

AHF was invited by the Lesotho Mounted Police Service to help in HIV care and started operations in the country in 2013. In the space of a decade, the organisation has been able to expand to five districts and has supported 21 heath centres across the country through government, church and non-governmental organisations partnerships.

The foundation has been able to participate in the prevention of mother to child transmission, Test and Treat, differentiated HIV testing, advanced HIV disease management and antiretroviral therapy (ART) optimization. This contributes immensely to control the HIV pandemic.

Metseng Tšehla, from AHF, said during the event that such commemorations are essential in the ending menstrual health and hygiene stigma.

He said that these issues are still in the shadows and have the potential of exposing girls to HIV.

“Some girls miss school when on their period due to the distance they have to walk and pads are expensive and not easy to access. This hinders with their schooling because their teachers are not going to put things on hold for them,” Tšehla said.

The youth present at the commemoration said that pads should be free at health centres to ease access. They also spoke of the male inclusion on issues of menstrual health and hygiene so that information can sip better into communities.

AFH Advocacy and Marketing Officer, Sebabatso Lentsoenyane, said that the commemoration is aimed at keeping the girl-child in school.

“School is an empowerment tool. Keeping girls in school distracts them from participating in activities that may put them at risk of contracting HIV,” Lentsoenyane said.

She pointed through donations like this one will help girls to focus on going to school and not worry about the accessibility of pads. She also touched on the issue of subsidizing of the cost of sanitary towels and how that subsidy has to be wide spread across the country.

“Sanitary pads should not be a luxury instead a basic need and right for all girls and women so that we keep them in school and promote their SRHR,” Acting Country Programme Manager Dr Patrick Kanyema said.