Dignity. Period!
Following policy passed at NUS Women's Conference 2006, here are the details of the ACTSA / ZTUC campaign called Dignity. Period! and how you can get involved.
There is a chronic shortage of sanitary products in Zimbabwe and only the rich can afford to purchase the limited number of tampons and sanitary towels that are available.
Women are using old rags as towels or inserting newspaper in to their vaginas instead of tampons and schoolgirls are missing a week of school every month as they cannot attend when they are having their period.
The shortages have been caused by the relocation of manufacturers from Zimbabwe to South Africa due to the current investment crisis.
The lack of available sanitary products has led to an increase in vaginal infections, but the majority of women in Zimbabwe cannot afford the drugs or treatment to cure the infections.
Action for Southern Africa launched the Dignity. Period! campaign in conjunction with Thabitha Khumalo of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions women's committee, with the aim of raising funds to purchase much needed sanitary products for the women of Zimbabwe.
To show your support for the Dignity. Period! campaign and to help the women of Zimbabwe, contact your MP and ask her/him to sign up to Early Day Motion 862.
In addition, we need as many people from as many different places as possible to fax a letter to the Zimbabwe Embassy in London urging the Zimbabwe government to waive import duty on all donated products. Faxing is more effective than e-mailing, as the e-mails are easily deleted by the embassy staff whereas the faxes constitute a physical presence. You can download the recommended letter as a Word Document here.
Please circulate let as many people know about this campaign as possible.
For more information about other ways you can get involved (such as fundraising), please visit the ACTSA website at www.actsa.org or contact Euan Wilmhurst, ACTSA Director at Euan.Wilmshurst@actsa.org
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