Women’s health book launched

VASIKANA Project, an organisation promoting the empowerment of girls through menstrual health education in Zimbabwe, last Saturday published a Menstrupedia Comic in Shona.

“For years, we distributed pads in schools. However, we realised that ending period poverty is multifaceted, and we wanted to do more than leave a packet of pads.“

The book, which was published in Zimbabwe, the United States of America and India on the World Menstrual Health Day on May 29, came out as a result of a global partnership with Menstrupedia of India, Stayfree Africa, and The Sister Accord Foundation.

“For years, we distributed pads in schools. However, we realised that ending period poverty is multifaceted, and we wanted to do more than leave a packet of pads. We wanted to put an educational resource that eradicates barriers to menstrual health and a resource available to the girls for years to come,” said Zvisinei Dzepasi Mamutse, founder and executive director of Vasikana Project.

The comic book will be the first publication in menstrual health to be published in Shona in Zimbabwe. It is set to eradicate barriers to menstrual health. In 2019, Vasikana Project published I Call on You Sis, an empowerment journal whose sales have funded the hiring of a full-time health educator focused on implementing and expanding the programme into more schools.

Mamutse said there are plans to raise more money to print more books and push for adopting the comic book in schools across Zimbabwe and other African countries.
“The challenge for women and girls is no longer contraceptives, but menstrual health. We hope to provide young women with the dignity they deserve to manage their periods,” she said.