Minister of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Monica Mutsvangwa has called for coordinated national action to end period poverty and stop menstruation from becoming a barrier to girls’ education.
Speaking at the launch of Zimbabwe’s National Menstrual Health Education Package in Harare, Mutsvangwa said menstrual health was an economic issue, not just a women’s issue, and central to gender equality and human capital growth.
“Any country which needs to grow its economy will have to look at issues of gender equality and women empowerment as a decisive strategic step to be economically independent,” she said.
She said the package was built on extensive consultations with government ministries, development partners, civil society, educators, health professionals, community leaders and young people. “You can’t come up with a package without involving young people’s voices,” she said.
Mutsvangwa said traditional and religious leaders, parents, teachers and communities had a role to play in dismantling myths and stigma around menstruation, and challenged the private sector to help by supporting production and distribution of affordable menstrual products. She added that success would depend on implementation, not just producing materials.
The package offers standardised, evidence-based, age-appropriate menstrual health information for schools and communities. An accompanying tool, the Zero Taboos game, gives young people an interactive way to discuss menstruation and challenge misconceptions.
UNFPA Zimbabwe Country Representative Miranda Tabifor said the organisation would work with government and partners to roll out the package in pilot districts before wider expansion. She described it as a collective response to the silence around menstruation, and said it would help dismantle stigma while advancing the broader sexual and reproductive health agenda.
World Bank Country Manager Eneida Fernandes pointed to the economic cost of menstrual-related absenteeism, noting that while 90 percent of Zimbabwean girls complete primary school, only one in 14 go on to finish upper secondary education. She said the resulting lost learning and skills reduce pathways to productive employment. “This is not only a human capital issue. It is an economic issue, and it is a job challenge,” she said.
Fernandes said the package targets girls, boys, teachers, caregivers and community leaders, using interactive methods suited to both rural and urban settings, and noted menstrual health could also spur local business growth in affordable product manufacturing.
The launch was attended by deputy ministers Jennifer Mhlanga and Kiven Mutimbanyoka. Mutimbanyoka, a HeForShe champion, has been positioned as a male ally in gender equality efforts. Mutsvangwa said men and boys must be part of the conversation, since shifting attitudes toward menstruation requires the whole of society.
She urged young people to use the new resources, ask questions and become ambassadors for accurate menstrual health information, calling the launch the start of a wider effort to let every girl attend school and realise her potential without being held back by menstruation.
