Theresa Nyava: From Lived Experience to Activism in Zimbabwe

Interview with Theresa Nyava

Disclaimer: These interviews were originally published in May 2021.

Close-up portrait of a woman wearing a blue head wrap and a white top, with bold eyebrows and dark lipstick against a colorful background.

We sat down with Theresa Nyava, the founder of NGO Sanitary Aid Zimbabwe (SAZT) to speak about her activism in tackling period poverty in Zimbabwe.

Ricebox Studio: How did you become an activist?

Theresa Nyava: I was born into a peasant family of five girls from the rural areas of Zvimba in Zimbabwe. We lived with other female cousins from the extended family. I experienced period poverty from the very first day I started menstruating, as my family was already struggling with school fees, food and other basic household necessities. I know what it feels like to walk a long distance to school while wearing pieces of cloth or mattress stuffing to try and manage the flow of blood, and coming back with bruises; and how it feels like to spend the whole day at school worrying about whether I have leaked and spoiled my uniform or the school chair.

Many girls also missed school during their periods, during my adolescent days, with some being mocked when they start their periods unexpectedly at school. This lived experience, coupled with how incidences of period poverty remain prevalent in my country, albeit not being given attention, inspired me to start an initiative where we put a spotlight on these issues.

RS: Who are the most vulnerable when it comes to period poverty?

TN: The most vulnerable are found in several traffic lanes of life. We have homeless girls and women who survive on begging and scavenging from the bins to find food. To them, period necessities like underwear, soap, sanitary wear and water are luxuries, and they struggle each month, and are forced to resort to newspapers, dirty rags, socks and free bleeding to manage their periods. Access to toilets is also a challenge as public toilets are locked at 6pm and only open in the morning. This means they have nowhere to go and have to take matters into their own hands.

Further, we also have female prisoners who have to resort to tearing pieces of blankets to manage the flow of blood when they are on their periods, with some also lacking underwear and soap. Then we also have female refugees who live in overcrowded refugee camps, girls in children’s homes, as well as rural school girls.We created a Kickstarter campaign and raised over $45,000 which was enough to fund our first machine, a year of supplies to produce pads, as well as [a] documentary.

RS: What are the biggest challenges with fighting period poverty (both in Zimbabwe and internationally)?

TN: The biggest challenge arises from failure by people to recognize period poverty as a humanity problem. But period poverty is still not even recognised as a problem, to begin with. Yet, this is actually a silent pandemic that is killing millions of dreams and destroying lives in the world. Some people think that we are whining when we are highlighting the challenges that people who menstruate face. They regard it as a light issue.

Then we have taboos hiding in the deep pockets of culture. In some rural communities, the custodians of tradition think that gathering people together to openly talk about periods is a breach of their culture, and they say this may result in rains not falling on their land or crops failing. Some religions also do not want their female congregants to be taught about menstruation or to receive period products.

RS: How do you try and demystify menstruation when stigma and shame is culturally ingrained within a community?

TN: The best way to discuss menstruation with communities is avoiding using a one-size-fits-all approach, but instead first take time to understand the cultural and religious dynamics of the specific community. You then have to ensure that you always begin with introductions and icebreakers that are appropriate. It is also vital to begin from neutral ground, like discussing what the menstrual cycle is. Then I have always found sharing personal experiences very effective. So for me and my volunteers, we always start by sharing about our first periods, our embarrassing period stories, as we teach them correct information about periods, so that they realize that whatever they might be ashamed to talk about is normal. Singing always helps; we sing a lot wherever we go. By doing this, you will realize that you can then engage with your audience better from a position of trust.

RS: What advice do you have for people who haven’t got adequate access to water?

TN: Never compromise when it comes to washing hands before and after changing sanitary wear or toilet use as well as before eating. Also, always ensure that you foster preservation in all activities that involve use of water.

RS: Tell us about any positive encounters through your activist work?

TN: Some of the major outcomes of our activism include: the removal of customs duty and value added tax on imported sanitary wear as well as raw materials used to manufacture sanitary wear; lobbying for the Education Amendment Act to include a clause providing for free allocation of menstrual products to all school girls; and increasing awareness about period poverty as well as widening knowledge about menstrual health.