category
Women
address
Gauteng, South Africa
We help women and girls from vulnerable communities by providing menstrual health education &reusable products.
How can you help?
Help Elle International with 5 volunteers for application development.
Help Elle International with 10 volunteers for Graphic Design and Multimedia.
More about Elle International
Elle International is committed to implementing social change, assisting in poverty alleviation and destigmatising the topic of menstrual health and hygiene by providing extensive Sexual Reproductive health and menstrual health interventions/initiatives at a school based level. We provide training and education programmes to empower girls and women to better understand their bodies; as well as distribute reusable period protection to ensure girls do not miss out on school. We have built up a network of partner organisations and social workers who work alongside me to teach girls how to make informed decisions about their bodies. Menstruation, teenage pregnancy, HIV, STIs and sexual abuse are issues that drastically affect a girl’s life and how her future unfolds. We see that up to 88% of girls in South Africa are absent from school during their menstrual cycles because they cannot afford sanitary products. The inability to afford sanitary products results in our girls missing at least 20 percent of their education because they have no other option but to stay at home during their menstrual cycles to avoid shame, embarrassment and discomfort. In addition to the lack of sanitary products, girls are encouraged to be absent from school during their menstrual cycle owing to deficient latrines and water supply - which is essential for menstrual hygiene. This issue is worsened by the lack of emergency pads in schools; as well as the insufficient support from teachers and parents who still maintain the belief that menstruation is a taboo topic not to be spoken about. Moreover, things as myths and general ignorance are all affecting girls experiencing their menarche negatively. According to South African statistics, 51% of the 57 million people in South Africa are women. It would be fair to assume that approximately 50 percent of these women are menstruating. Since the conditions in the informal settlements are scarce and most people do not have a steady income, women cannot afford proper menstrual management products. The main consequences due to this are school and work absenteeism, as well as the methods women are forced to use in order to get money for sanitary products. It is not unusual that girls in informal settlements, from the age of nine, receive pads through an exchange of sexual services. Because poverty is such a substantial problem in South Africa, girls who cannot afford proper sanitary products (disposable pads, tampons) use what they can get hold of. Unhygienic alternatives such as old rugs, mattress stuffing, and tissue paper are neither a sustainable nor a healthy solution. The youth of today, are tomorrow’s leaders and the change that society so desperately needs to see, lies with the youth. Elle International teaches boys and girls about their bodies, contraception, menstruation, HIV, STIs, effective menstrual hygiene management, gender and respect and other topics pertaining to teenage pregnancy. The organisation also distributes menstrual hygiene packs, that are completely reusable for 15 years, and thus implementing sustainable change in the lives of thousands of girls and boys around South Africa. 2 out of 3 girls from the age of 9 years old, engages in transactional sexy with older men to acquire items like sanitary pads. Elle International works fiercely to change this statistic. We are working on improving menstrual hygiene sustainability into local communities and rural areas in South Africa. We currently distribute menstrual hygiene kits which are reusable for 15 years. Addressing the basic needs of improved menstrual hygiene and sanitation facilities (safe and functioning toilets and improved access to running water) is on the agenda for 2021/2022 but we need more partners to come on board to for us to make a substantial change. By introducing the element of education into early childhood development we tackle the constructs of social taboos and myths which keep students captive, and educate them from a young age (through to tertiary students), on how to best care for their health and hygiene, as well as be aware of the sexual health risks. Currently, Elle international has positively impacted over 20 000 school girls lives in South Africa alone, and need to be able to continue this work to develop inclusive sexual reproductive health educational materials which are translated into all South African languages. Elle International's focus is to provide a vehicle for students to live their best lives through a healthy, educated and well informed approach. Menstruation is a global issue shared by all women, but those who lack access to clean water and cannot afford sanitary products are those who suffer the most. Insufficient education, cultural myths and the taboo surrounding the subject amplify the problem and create barriers for development.
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