Amazing post!

Growing up as a young boy in the deep parts of Zambia, menstruation was seldom talked about. Instead of learning about it from my family or my neighborhood, I came to realize that such exists when I was already a teen in Secondary school and honestly, I was horrified! In my puzzled state, I had so many questions but unfortunately no one was available to answer.

In some parts of Africa, talking about genitals especially with elderly people is considered to be very disrespectful but what happens when the young 12-year-old girl gets her first period and there is no one she can open up to? Does she need to suffer in silence over a situation that is absolutely normal? imagine just how disheartening that is. Clearly more information and awareness around this subject is needed and common myths, stigmas and misconception need to be debunked.

Thank you so much GIZ for introducing the #LetsTalkPERIOD campaign to Zambia – making it the first African country to join the global campaign. I definitely accede to the fact that it is time we started seeing periods as a natural bodily process and therefore treat it like one. Each everyone, lets remember it is normal to #LetsTalkPERIOD.
 

The #LetsTalkPERIOD Campaign

Over 600 million girls and women worldwide have no access to information about menstruation, adequate sanitary facilities or menstrual products. Menstruation is often a taboo subject in many parts of the globe. As a result, women and girls do not have equal access to education or social, political and economic participation and are also exposed to particular health risks

.Recognizing the urgency to address this issue, GIZ projects in Nepal, Albania, and the Philippines, in collaboration with local partners and networks, initiated efforts to break the silence around menstruation. This movement has since evolved into the global social media campaign #LetsTalkPERIOD, reaching over ten million people. The campaign aims to destigmatize menstruation by normalizing it as a natural bodily process and fostering open and informed conversations to dispel myths and misconceptions.

GIZ has now introduced the #LetsTalkPERIOD campaign to Zambia – making it the first African country to join the global campaign.  In Zambia, many young women aspiring for positions in male-dominated and often physically demanding careers fields such as football or the water- and sanitation sector are usually met with discouragement or barriers due to their gender and also their menstrual cycle. For instance, many female athletes feel uncomfortable discussing menstruation with their coaches or supervisors. 

To address this, the campaign has engaged the famous soccer players ''Copper Queens'' Barbara Banda, Inonge Kaloustian and Evarine Katongo  to #kickTheSTIGMA as Goodwill Ambassadors . The campaign uses engaging social media content, including short videos and documentaries, these football stars will share their experiences as young women, raising awareness and inspiring behavior change.The first content of the campaign was shared on international Menstrual Hygiene Day (28th of May). and will run for a number of weeks. We invite you all to follow the social media campaign using the links below and also invite you to like, share, follow, play the games and comment on the posts.

Zambian content #kickTheSTIGMA:

Facebook: fb.watch/suYLTBhTgG/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@letstalkperiodzambia/video/7373980176381676805?_t=8mivwQzhIEX&_r=1
Instagram: 
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/showcase/letstalkperiod/?viewAsMember=true

See you on social media!

Regards,
Chaiwe