Transforming Menstrual Hygiene in Rural Zimbabwe

“With the change that has happened, Mtshina village are showing a commitment to hygiene, which will benefit themselves, their children and grandchildren”.

Anna is championing the positive changes International Medical Corps’ Community Health Clubs have brought to her community in Amalima, rural Zimbabwe.

Community Health Clubs are local organisations that are dedictated to improving the health of their members and their communities through promoting an understanding of the importance of hygiene and sanitation. Over a period or approximately 5 months, these clubs meet weekly or by-weekly to provide training on different topics related to hygiene and sanitation, culminating in a ‘graduation’ ceremony upon completion.

International Medical Corps is currently operating over 300 clubs across Zimbabwe. We have been delighted to see that the clubs have inspired their members to act upon their training and adopt improved hygienic and sanitary practices in their homes, as well as influence positive changes in the wider community.

These efforts fall squarerly within International Medical Corps’ global work around water, sanitation and hygiene. Over a billion people worldwide lack access to safe drinking water, while 2.5 million are without the most rudimentary sanitation facilities. As a result, over half of the developing world’s hospital beds are filled with people who suffer from water and sanitation-related illnesses, including diarrhoea, pneumonia, eye and skin infections and cholera.

International Medical Corps supports comminutes to guarentee clean water and safe sanitation services – no matter how challenging the conditions.

We have been working in Zimbabwe since 2008, when we responded to a cholera epidmic that killed over 4000 people and made more than 97,000 sick. The crisis stemmed from a decaying health care system and inadequate hygiene and sanitation services – we have stayed in the country and continue to provide clean water, sanitation and health care services.

Our community-based health and clean water and sanitation programme benefits over 220,000 people. Spreading messages around hygiene and sanitaiton can have profound effects. Simple hand-washing with soap can slash the rate of diarrhoeal disease by nearly a half.

The formation of a Community Health Club in Anna’s community quickly overcame a general disregard for cleanliness. As the trainings progressed, members’ behaviour began to change as they adopted the recommended practices, such as washing their hands and cleaning their yards. Club members, as well as people in the wider community, began to build ‘tippy taps’, which are used for handwashing. This has led to a noticeable reduction in illnesses. Moving forward, Anna remarked that ‘The Community Health Club has given us a platform to share ideas’, and members are discussing further ways of improving hygiene in the area: ‘We talk about getting more men involved to help dig pits for latrines’.

The positive changes in Anna’s own life are reflected by the fact that she recieved an award at her club’s ‘graduation’ ceremony for having a ‘model home’, where she has adopted key hygienic practices. She has constructed a tippy tap, a rubbish pit and a pot drying-rack.This award has given Anna a sense of pride and she is detemined to build on her success. She said that ‘The certification is a source of motivation for me. I am motivated to keep the cleanliness of my home when i see the certificate’.

International Medical Corps would like to thank the GlobalGiving network for its support to International Medical Corps’ Community Health Clubs and the communities of rural Zimbabwe. As Anna’s story shows, this support can bring great changes.