How women in Congo are beating period stigma

Goma girls club — In Goma, menstruation is taboo, with many girls being ostracised from their communities. Photographer Elizabeth Dalziel meets the activists trying to change that.

In Congo, trouble regularly forces its way into the headlines. There are the volcanic eruptions every generation or so, the Ebola outbreaks every few years. There are the battles between myriad militias fighting to control various corners of this sprawling central African nation so exhausted by war.

But for half of Congo’s population, trouble comes once a month, leaving millions of women and girls silently marked as unclean carriers of misfortune.

Cultures from North America to central Africa have long stigmatised menstruation. As a teenager in Mexico, I lived in fear of gym class, where my school’s mandatory white shorts meant that embarrassment always seemed to loom. I kept a jacket close at hand when I had my period, in case I needed to wrap it around myself while I ran to the bathroom to change.

In eastern Congo, though, the stigma is far more powerful. A menstruating girl does not go to the communal water pump or the communal toilets. She doesn’t prepare food and often doesn’t go to school. She doesn’t pray with her family. Tradition says she is impure, someone to be kept at bay lest she contaminates water or a meal. Rags – and sometimes even straw – are used for sanitary protection. Urinary tract infections are commonplace.

But in a wooden cabin in the city of Goma, where girls sit at desks made from simple pine planks, a handful of women are trying to change the way menstruation is seen in this part of Congo. They call it The Girls Club.

“In many families in our neighbourhoods, we do not talk about it – it’s still taboo,” says a 19-year-old named Chimene, standing at the front of the class in a bright pink t-shirt emblazoned with the word “LOVE”. “At home when we spoke of menstruation we would just say ‘these things.’” Sanitary napkins, if they were available, were called “biscuits.”

At the Girls Club, teenagers are learning about women’s health issues and how to make reusable sanitary pads to use and sell. The international humanitarian organisation Mercy Corps has so far organised 10 workshops in Goma and six in Bukavu in the Eastern Congolese region of Kivu.

Commercial menstrual pads cost from $2 to $3 per month in Congo, a significant sum in a country where the average family earns just $1.30 a day. The pads made at the Girls Club, fashioned from plastic liners and soft flannel decorated with rockets, aeroplanes and stars scattered across a blue sky, sell for $2.40 per pack but can be re-used for many months. After expenses, each pack also earns nearly $1 in profits for the teenagers who make and sell them. The more they make, the more they earn.

The club has brought many changes to the girls of Goma. Chimene, for instance, now talks openly about her period. She uses sanitary pads that she makes for herself, her sister and her mother. She talks about the stigma of menstruation and the hope that things are changing.

But when it’s time for a picture, she still hides her face. Some taboos are just too deep.

See more of Elizabeth Dalziel’s work on her official website, or follow her on Twitter.

Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.


Ad

Latest on Huck

Two young women making silly facial expressions, one with a grey coat and the other in a black coat, in front of a white building.
Culture

Tender, carefree portraits of young Ukrainians before the war

Diary of a Stolen Youth — On the day that a temporary ceasefire is announced, a new series from photographer Nastya Platinova looks back at Kyiv’s bubbling youth culture before Russia’s February 2022 full-scale invasion. It presents a visual window for young people into a possible future, as well as the past.

Four people posing for a portrait, wearing black outfits against a bright red background. The text "Hush presents Analogue Appreciation" is overlaid in yellow and green lettering.
Music

Analogue Appreciation: 47SOUL

Dualism — In an ever more digital, online world, we ask our favourite artists about their most cherished pieces of physical culture. Today, it’s Palestinian shamstep pioneers 47SOUL.

Written by: 47SOUL

A punk rock band performing on stage, with a female lead singer belting into a microphone. Behind them, a colourful mural with graffiti-style text.
Music

Meet the hair-raised radicals of Berlin’s noise punk scene

Powertool — In his new zine, George Nebieridze captures moments of loud rage and quiet intimacy of the German capital’s bands, while exploring the intersections between music, community and anti-establishment politics.

Written by: Miss Rosen

Group of people dancing at a live music performance, with a large "Spaces Beats" sign in the background.
Music

Amid tensions in Eastern Europe, young Latvians are reviving their country’s folk rhythms

Spaces Between the Beats — The Baltic nation’s ancient melodies have long been a symbol of resistance, but as Russia’s war with Ukraine rages on, new generations of singers and dancers are taking them to the mainstream.

Written by: Jack Styler

A person's face surrounded by colourful flowers. The flowers include orange, red, and yellow dahlias, as well as smaller yellow blooms. The person's expression is serious.
Music

Uwade: “I was determined to transcend popular opinion”

What Made Me — In this series, we ask artists and rebels about the about the forces and experiences that shaped who they are. Today, it’s Nigerian-born, South Carolina-raised indie-soul singer Uwade.

Written by: Uwade

Taxidermy alligator with a small monkey sitting on its head, displayed on a wooden shelf with other items.
Culture

Inside the obscured, closeted habitats of Britain’s exotic pets

“I have a few animals...” — For his new series, photographer Jonty Clark went behind closed doors to meet rare animal owners, finding ethical grey areas and close bonds.

Written by: Hannah Bentley

Signup to our newsletter

Sign up to our newsletter to informed with the cutting edge of sport, music and counterculture, featuring personal takes on the state of media and pop culture from Emma Garland, former Digital Editor of Huck, exclusive interviews, recommendations and more.

Please wait...

Accessibility Settings

Text

Applies the Open Dyslexic font, designed to improve readability for individuals with dyslexia.

Applies a more readable font throughout the website, improving readability.

Underlines links throughout the website, making them easier to distinguish.

Adjusts the font size for improved readability.

Visuals

Reduces animations and disables autoplaying videos across the website, reducing distractions and improving focus.

Reduces the colour saturation throughout the website to create a more soothing visual experience.

Increases the contrast of elements on the website, making text and interface elements easier to distinguish.