6 shocking alternatives to sanitary pads that impoverished women use

gloria mari

December 21, 2017 5:14 PM

Why more needs to be done for menstrual health.

Many young girls and women are forced to stay home either to skip school or work due to the inability to afford sanitary towels.

Available brands may be too expensive or the ones provided by charities and wellwishers don't last long enough until the next drive.

The government of Kenya still needs to do more even after plans to have free sanitary towels provided.

Below are 6 shocking alternatives to pads women are forced to use.

1. Bread

According to The Nation, a girl in the UK was forced to use bread to help manage the flow.

"I spoke to a woman who could only afford a loaf of bread to feed her children, so she used a slice of bread for her period," founder Nina Leslie said on Wednesday while calling for more government support, the Nation reported.

2. Used socks

This is used even when toilet paper isn't available.

3. Banana stalks

This is actually an ingenious way being used in Rwanda and Uganda to help keep girls in school.

Trademarked banana pad, the pads are made with 99 percent local materials with the main raw material being banana stems, cut from the vast, abundant banana wastes all over the country. After banana stem is cut, the green cover is peeled off and the white stem is what is used in the making of the pads.

4. Newspaper

Pieces of newspaper are cut up and rolled around underwear.

5. Rags of cloth

Used like a nappy, the cloths are wrapped around the base of the underwear to help women manage their period.