On the coast of Kenya, an organization for women with disabilities, Tunaweza, is making strides. They have designed affordable reusable pads that are environmentally friendly using local materials (Project, 2019). They have thus far made and distributed pads to hundreds of girls and women, as well as visiting schools in rural locations of Kenya, providing care kits as well as planning educational classes on puberty and gender-based violence, something that is incredibly important in order to bring the poverty rate down. Tunaweza has reached many girls nationwide and they have significantly helped bring down girls absenteeism from school, which opens doors to them no longer feeling ashamed with access to healthcare products (Simulia, 2017). Another NGO, Raise the Roof Kenya, works on the ground as well to decrease the effects of period poverty.

 

Since 2012, the organization has successfully supported hundreds of youth in finding employment and over 45,000 women with hygiene management and sanitary pads. Raise the Roof Kenya also plans on making a space where women can make reusable pads, providing employment and increasing pads supply (The Voice, 2018).

 

Government initiatives have also helped in this cause. In 2017, President Uhuru Kenyatta signed an amendment for: “free, sufficient, and quality sanitary towels must be provided to every school-registered girl, as well as a safe place to use and dispose of the products.” (Project, 2019).  To date about 90,000 girls in hundreds of schools have access to menstrual hygiene facilities.This has been a great start toward achieving gender equality to help keep girls in school and reduce accessibility issues (BBC, 2017). Through this, we can see that attitudes have begun changing towards menstrual poverty and will continue to do so. Additionally, the HIV fight in Sub Saharan Africa is ongoing.

 

With Nigeria having the second highest HIV rates in the region, an organization called Project Hope is working to help those affected. They are actively working to improve access to healthcare facilities and to care for women affected by sexual violence, a large demogrpahic of the HIV virus. They also work with young orphans and local governments to assist in the delivery of more services and women’s rights, and violence.

 

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Project Hope has trained health care workers to treat the virus as well as educated communities on ways to be safe (Project Hope, 2020).

 

The Nigerian Government has also taken important initiatives to address the ever constant epidemic by integrating educational programs at schools to address gender inequality and socializations of males and females.

 

Reproductive and Sex education is key to preventing HIV and allowing women to access services, information and increased contraceptive methods which the government is trying to improve upon through management systems and budgeting (NACA, 2016).Thus, through the work of organizations along with efforts from governments and new policies, there is good ongoing progress to directly minimize the healthcare challenges Africa faces.