Mhd newsletter

FEDERATION OF AFRICAN MEDICAL STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATIONS (FAMSA)

April-June, 2014 Volume 1, Issue 1

FAMSA NEWSLETTER April-June, 2014

Inside this issue:

Organising Team

2

How it all started

3

If men could menstruate

4

The Inexperienced man

3

If men menstruated

4

Activities during MHD

7

MHD in pics

8,9

Contact us on: scopub@famsanet.org (PUBLICATIONS) Or info@famsanet.org Or secgen.famsa@gmail.com

Website: www.famsanet.org

Thanks for the support during Menstrual Hygiene Campaign at Bushenyi (Uganda)

Page 2

FAM SA NEWSLETT ER

V olume 1, I ssue 1

Editorial Team Mulndwa Alex Mathias Badaaza Seere G. Bonny Ephraim Kisangala Doreen Matthew Jackson Olaboro Oledo Samuel Oledo

Dear reader, We are delighted to introduce to you the first edition of the FAMSA Newsletter this year. This quarterly newsletter will mainly focus on the medical students’ and other FAMSA activities across the continent. We are optimistic that through this periodical release, there will be improved communication, sharing of experiences, knowledge and support among the medical students and all other interested readers.

We will publish newsworthy reports, stories, experiences, events and articles.

In this edition, we are focusing on the recently concluded menstrual hygiene campaign that was celebrated world over in May. It is our prayer that as you read through this, you reflect on the current menstrual practices in your area and its impact on the life and education of the African child.

Editorial team scopub@famsanet.org

The Organising Committee

On a given day, over 300 million women and girls will be men-

Jackson Olaboro Chairman– MHD

struating, and in sum most women in the world will spend 3,500 days of their lives bleeding. The majority of those women and girls in Africa have no access to clean and safe sanitary products, nor to a clean and private space in which to change menstrual pads or clothes.

It was for these reasons that over hundred students and pupils and two women groups from Bushenyi district stepped away from their usual programs on Wednesday the 28th day of May to take part in the celebration of the 1st World Menstrual Hygiene day with the theme “to break the silence and build awareness about the fundamental role of good menstrual hygiene.”

Committee members

Jackson Olaboro-Chairperson OC Gabriel Tubo Member Atwine Buddu Member Amos Muhumuza Member Sharon Muhimbo Member Celina Kaligirwa Member Kizito M Esau Palma Aceng

Member Member

Scovia Muzirankoni

Member

Mathias Badaaza

Member

Fifty three (53) non-reusable sanitary pads were distributed and 79 women were trained on making of reusable sanitary pads. A fun football match organized between a team of Friends of IRISE and another existing team was at the climax of the days’ commemoration.

Florence Tebagalika

Member

Joseph Kato

Member

Rodney Bijjubuko

Member

Mwoko Faisal

Member

Jackson Olaboro( MBChB III-KIU); Recruitment Representative–FRIENDS OF IRISE Chairman—Organising Committee

Ken Masiko

Member

Elotu Ernest

Member

Ephraim Kisangala

Member

FAM SA NEWSLETT ER

V olume 1, I ssue 1

Page 3

How it all started FAMSA (Federation of African Medical Students‘ Associations) in partnership with Friends of IRISE KIU-WC (Kampala International University Western Campus) (Under IRISE UK) felt honorbound to commemorate this day as a way of adding a voice to break the silence, promote a hygienic menstruation in privacy, dignity and honour as well as empower the girl child. IRISE UK was the main sponsor of

the event. The targeted populations were both male and female pupils, students and organized groups especially women groups. The idea for the day was born from the 1st Menstravangaza Campaign in 2013. In FAMSA however, the idea was quickly adopted by SCOMER (Standing Committee on Medical Education and Research) that set out to identify the type

of activities, persons and partners that would be involved in the campaign.

FAMSA then partnered with Friends of IRISE-KIU (which funded the event) and AMSKIU to see to it that the day is successful.

The campaign was started on 1st May, 2014 through to 28th May, 2014 and involved several activities including social media campaign.

SCOMER Representative Uganda stressing a point during the meeting

Background to the Menstrual Hygiene Day (MHD) This was the first time the

28th May was selected be-

There’s great hope that such

world

cause May is the 5th month of

campaigns will continue to

Hygiene Day (MHD). The idea

the year representing the aver-

raise a lot of momentum

of this day evolved after a very

age number of days (from 2 to

through the media and other

successful

MENSTRAVA-

7) spent menstruating and 28

means so that the day is even-

GANZA campaign that was

representing the average num-

tually widely accepted for rec-

pioneered by WASH United in

ber of days in the menstrual

ognition and celebration of the

May 2013.

cycle.

menstrual process in women.

celebrated

Menstrual

Why 28th May ???

“May is the 5th month of the year representing the average number of days (from 2 to 7) spent menstruating and 28 representing the average number of days in the menstrual cycle.‖

Where is the Problem???

Menstruation is one of the of India are supposed to tie a cealed, and often not report most regular events in a fe- handkerchief soiled with men- partly because it’s a private male’s life. It is however strual blood around their necks occurrence. The social embartreated with a lot of negativity during their periods. These in rassment, shame and other evil in the society today especially addition to other practices con- that usually follow after the in Africa. Several societies in tribute to both disempower- community have

different

members

have

perceptions ment and health risks. All the known one is in her period is

about menstruation for exam- injustice that goes on due to often unspeakable. ple all women in a certain part menstruation is often con-

Jackson, Buddu and Mathias during the MHD school visit

Page 4

FAM SA NEWSLETT ER

V olume 1, I ssue 1

Where is the problem (Continued) It’s probably because of these that the affected females will use tree leaves, soil, rags, newspapers, cotton wool and any other thing as long as it can do the job so as to avoid the shame. Many times these methods are unhygienic predisposing the females to several infections.

About one in ten girls miss school during their periods, some of whom even never return to school again.

During high school, a girl will miss about 24 weeks of the required 144 weeks.

Teacher at a school of disability demonstrating how to use a sanitary pad

If men could menstruate…!

The answer is clear— menstruation would become an enviable, boast-worthy, masculine event: … Boys would mark the onset of menses, that longed-for proof of manhood, with religious ritual and stag parties.

A white minority of the world has spent centuries conning us into thinking that a white skin makes people superior—even though the only thing it really does is make them more subject to ultraviolet rays and to wrinkles. Male human beings have built whole cultures around the idea that penis-envy is ―natural‖ to women—though having such an unprotected organ might be said to make men vulnerable, and the power to give birth makes womb-envy at least as logical.

In short, the characteristics of the powerful, whatever they may be, are thought to be better than the characteristics of the powerless—and logic has nothing to do with it.

What would happen, for instance, if suddenly, magically, men could menstruate and women could not?

The answer is clear—menstruation would become an enviable, boast-worthy, masculine event: Men would brag about how long and how much.

Boys would mark the onset of menses, that longed-for proof of manhood, with religious ritual and stag parties.

Congress would fund a National Institute of Dysmenorrhea to help stamp out monthly discomforts.

Sanitary supplies would be federally funded and free. (Of course, some men would still pay for the prestige of commercial brands such as John Wayne Tampons, Muhammad Ali‘s Rope-a-dope Pads, Joe Namath Jock Shields—―For Those Light Bachelor Days,‖ and Robert ―Baretta‖ Blake MaxiPads.)

Military men, right-wing politicians, and religious fundamentalists would cite menstruation (―men-struation‖) as proof that only men could serve in the Army (―you have to give blood to take blood‖), occupy political office

(―can women be aggressive without that steadfast cycle governed by the planet Mars?‖), be priest and ministers (―how could a woman give her blood for our sins?‖) or rabbis (―without the monthly loss of impurities, women remain unclean‖).

Male radicals, left-wing politicians, mystics, however, would insist that women are equal, just different, and that any woman could enter their ranks if she were willing to self-inflict a major wound every month (―you MUST give blood for the revolution‖), recognize the preeminence of menstrual issues, or subordinate her selfness to all men in their Cycle of Enlightenment. Street guys would brag (―I‘m a three pad man‖) or answer praise from a buddy (―Man, you lookin‗ good!‖) by giving fives and saying, ―Yeah, man, I‘m on the rag!‖ TV shows would treat the subject at length. (―Happy Days‖: Richie and Potsie try to convince Fonzie that he is still ―The Fonz,‖ though he has missed two periods in a row.) So would newspapers. (SHARK SCARE THREATENS MENSTRUATING MEN. JUDGE CITES MONTHLY STRESS IN PARDONING RAPIST.) And movies. (Newman and Redford in ―Blood Brothers‖!)

Men would convince women that intercourse was more pleasurable at ―that time of the month.‖ Lesbians would be said to fear blood and therefore life itself—though probably only because they needed a good menstruating man.

Of course, male intellectuals would offer the most moral and logical arguments. How could a woman master any discipline that demanded a sense of time, space, mathematics, or measurement, for instance, without that in-built gift for measuring the cycles of the moon and planets—and thus for measuring anything at all?

FAM SA NEWSLETT ER

V olume 1, I ssue 1

Page 5

FACTS ON MENSTRUAL HYGIENE FACT: One in ten girls will miss or completely drop out of school because of menstruation FACT: A high school girl will miss 24 out of the expected 144 weeks due to menstruation.

FACT: The disabled girls experience worse

FACT: 83% of girls in Burkina Faso and 77% In Niger Have no place at school to change their sanitary menstrual materials.

FACT: In Sierra Leone, girls who are normally active classroom participants sit in the back because they worried about emitting an odor or leaking through their clothes while menstruating.

symptoms during menstruation.

FACT: Commercial menstrual pads can be too FACT: In order to stem the flow of monthly expensive for low--‐income girls and women to afford. In Mukuru in Nairobi, many girls aged periods, the women and girls use anything 10--‐19 have reported having sex with older men from rags, tree leaves, soil, old clothes, toilet to pay for basic items, such as pads. papers, news papers, cotton wool, or literally anything that can do the job.

FACT: A woman may use nearly 11,400 tamInside pons Story in herHeadline life.

FACT: In sub-Saharan Africa, millions of girls at puberty are highly disempowered due

Ernest (KIUMSAF) discussing menstrual issues with students in one

FACT: The Kenyan government will spend over USD $2 million to provide pads to 678,770 disadvantaged school girls.

FACT: To reduce costs and stimulate the market for sanitary pads, Kenya eliminated the sales tax on menstrual products in 2011.

to the lack of access to sanitary wear.

―In Sierra Leone, girls who are normally active classroom participants sit in the back because they worried about emitting an odor or leaking through their clothes while menstruating.‖

If men could menstruate (Continued) In the rarefied fields of philosophy and religion, could women compensate for missing the rhythm of the universe? Or for their lack of symbolic death-andresurrection every month?

Liberal males in every field would try to be kind: the fact that ―these people‖ have no gift for measuring life or connecting to the universe, the liberals would explain, should be punishment enough.

And how would women be trained to react? One can imagine traditional women agreeing to all arguments with a staunch and smiling masochism. (―The ERA

would force housewives to wound themselves every month‖: Phyllis Schlafly. ―Your husband‘s blood is as sacred as that of Jesus - and so sexy, too!‖ Marabel Morgan.) Reformers and Queen Bees would try to imitate men, and pretend to have a monthly cycle. All feminists would explain endlessly that men, too, needed to be liberated from the false idea of Martian aggressiveness, just as women needed to escape the bonds of menses envy. Radical feminists would add that the oppression of the nonmenstrual was the pattern for

all other oppressions (―Vampires were our first freedom fighters!‖) Cultural feminists would develop a bloodless imagery in art and literature. Socialist feminists would insist that only under capitalism would men be able to monopolize menstrual blood . . . .

In fact, if men could menstruate, the power justifications could probably go on forever.

If we let them.

By Gloria Steinem

If men could menstruate... ...They’d celebrate and boast about it….

Page 6

FAM SA NEWSLETT ER

V olume 1, I ssue 1

The Experience Of An Inexperienced Man; A Look Into The World Menstrual Hygiene Day Campaign, 2014

Ephraim Kisangala

World menstrual hygiene day, 2014 was the first of its kind in the world and commemorated by more than one hundred organisations world over. Being a member of Friends of IRISE-KIU western campus, I was privileged to learn quite a lot on menstruation. Before the campaign, we had literally discussed in depth about menstruation and been trained on making reusable sanitary pads. I do not remember when I first knew that women menstruate, but I am pretty sure it was during one of the high school biology lessons. The lessons were plain, explaining just the science and cycle and nothing more. Comments on painful periods, cultural practices, menstrual hygiene or management were almost unheard of in class.

The fear and the silence that usually surrounds the topic seemed have been replaced by the concern for the poor girl who is missing school and knew nothing about menstruation, using dirty rags, leaves, cotton or anything else that would do the required job.

The campaign started on a high note as the entire team was very eager to engage in activities aimed at empowering and educating the population especially the girl child on breaking the silence around menstruation. We started the social media campaign on facebook and whatsapp among other activities like school education programmes, one student one pad campaign as well as preparing for the 28th May, 2014 celebrations.

As we embarked on the social media campaign, I did not expect to learn what I did. The responses to my posts, articles I read and activities I participated in gave me a totally different dimension on the topic. These responses varied and generated different reactions.. .

The first comment to strike me was, ―Ephraim, wont you relent, will you?...‖ from a female doctor who had posted this in response to one of my facebook posts

I don’t remember when I first knew that women menstruate …

The lessons were plain, just explains the science, the cycle simply and nothing else

This got me to think and read even more. I then remembered my mother‘s story of how back then not even medical workers from whomshe sought treatment understood her situation since the periods were often irregular, heavy, very painful and scary. She does not remember attending school during those awful days and always wished periods never existed. ―…Periods were literally a curse even when I was an adult working, Thank God, I am past that…‖ She later commented.

A friend once surprised me, ―The only regret I have for being a woman is my period‖ when she came to hospital seeking help about excessive bleeding during her periods that had affected her job and lifestyle. A colleague said in another conversation, ―It sucks, imagine the day (WMHD) is on my birthday!‖ Another article on www.mum.org had a disgusted lady write a letter to the manager of ALWAYS ―Are you…kidding me? …does your …brain really think happiness– actual smiling is possible during a menstrual period? …unless you are …a freak‖ and promising never to buy the Always Pads because of the words, ―Have a Happy Period‖ on the Pads as she opened the pack.

There was also a facebook page with a debate on why the campaign included the word ‗hygiene‘ instead of awareness.

The argument was that if we say hygiene, then it means the process is an unhygienic and campaigners are trying to make it hygienic.

Back at the medical school, we had a whatsapp chat page for it, few females were active on the page throughout the campaign. The men dominated the events and activities leading to the day. The organizing committee was also male dominated but with a handful of females who were extremely helpful.

After all this, I had this to say, you can never truly comprehend the magnitude of the challenges the African girl goes through when it comes to anything concerning menstruation be it talk or the process, if you are not female.

At the end of the day, there are several observations I am convinced need a second thought; a) The culture and taboos in Africa are deeply rooted making the talk about the menstrual period quite challenging. b) The stigma surrounding menstruation still keeps many females from disclosing their challenges that would otherwise be solved. c) Menstruation is normal and every woman has the right to go through her periods with dignity.

By Ephraim Kisangala (ephraimkis@gmail.com) President (2014/2015)- Federation of African Medical Students’ Associations (FAMSA)

FAM SA NEWSLETT ER

V olume 1, I ssue 1

Page 7

Summary of activities for MHD Campaign (May, 2014) MAIN ACTIVITY

Advocacy Education and Creation of awareness

Training on cheap reusable pad making Provision of pads FUN DAY

Activities done

OUTCOMES

Dialoged local, government and school authorities Menstrual education in 5 schools and a nursing school Purple coloured T-Shirts

Raise awareness about the need to include menstruation hygiene in their programs Increase awareness on the knowledge about menstruation.

Radio talk show At World Fm (Bushenyi Uganda) Social media pro-MENSTRAVAGANZA 79 women trained (2 women groups)

Educated the public about menstruation and woman empowerment Awareness on menstrual hygiene

Students contributed money to purchase pads Games e.g football Same colour of cloth Marching around Ishaka Town

Ug. Shs. 100,000/= was collected

Uniformity on during the compaign and raise more awareness

Acquire knowledge and skills acquired on pad making Ability to Train others in pad making

Raise awareness and fun

Distribution of pads

Recommendations and Take home lessons 1. The education is very impor-

trained well in advance before

secondary, tertiary, women

tant and there ’ s a need to do

going out in the field.

groups etc )

this regularly in schools

4. Additionally, there ’ s also

5. There ’ s need to involve

2. There is need to create suf-

need to design a customized

more stakeholders in the

ficient time between planning

teaching module or guideline

subsequent campaign

and implementation.

for the different levels of edu-

6. There ’ s need to spread

3. The facilitators should be

cation or groups ( Primary,

Acknowledgements IRISE UK that sponsored the event and give technical guidance

The Bushenyi District authority especially Town Clerk that graced the event

Dr. Marta Vicente Crespo who co-sponsored the campaign and identified women groups to be trained

Members of the various institutions that participated in the event

Kampala International University students and staff The local community that participated in the awareness walk SCOMER Uganda team

Page 8

FAM SA NEWSLETT ER

MHD in Pictures

V olume 1, I ssue 1

FAM SA NEWSLETT ER

V olume 1, I ssue 1

Some of the questions asked during school visits

Page 9

FEDERATION OF AFRICAN MEDICAL STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATIONS (FAMSA)

FAMSA IN BRIEF Established in 1968, The Federation of African Medical Students’ Associa-

Permanent Headquarters

tions (FAMSA) is a project oriented body of African Medical Students who

C/O Office of the PROVOST

seek to be actively involved in tackling the peculiar problems of the African

College of Medicine

continent, especially as it regards health, and directed at improving the quality

University of Ibadan

of life of Africans, advocacy and inspiring Africans to take into their own

University College Hospital, Ibadan (Nigeria)

hands, the future of their health and development.

The vision of FAMSA is: to become a strong network of medical students,

info@famsanet.org

aware of global health issues and responsive to the current issues facing the

President: +256 701763763 president@famsanet.org Secretary General +256 782 392435 secgen.famsa@gmail.com Administrator +234 802 2119253 famsaarchives@yahoo.com

medical profession and global health.

As such, our fervent hope is to have a meaningful impact even as medical students (Future medical professionals) on the health needs of the entire African continent.

Visit us on the web www.famsanet.org www. Issuu.com/famsanet

“Towards The Improvement of Health In Africa”

FAMSA in the past has been involved in many worthy Health Projects including Health Outreaches, workshops, conferences, research work, health publications amongst many others that have been of great benefit to the medical student, corporate bodies and the continent at large.

FAMSA Partners