Experiences of female students on menstrual hygiene management in secondary school life in Gakenke District. A case of ES Nyarutovu and GS Mataba

Abstract

Girls’ menstrual hygiene is critical in the life of every education system in positioning girls to meet changing trends of globalization. This study analyses the way menstrual hygiene is managed in Secondary schools life in Rwanda: Gakenke District. The research methodology consisted of qualitative approach through using the interview and visual methods in data collection. The purposive sampling technique was used to get six participants among them three are from boarding schools while other three are from nonresidential secondary schools of Gakenke District in Rwanda. The findings revealed that some girls in secondary schools do not manage properly their menstruation at school. This is due to challenges related to culture such as taking menstruation as taboos, idea saying that women are impure, dirty and sinful while they menstruating, the lack of appropriate sanitary pads, poor sanitary infrastructures, limited knowledge about menstruation, school leadership influence and weak interaction between the teachers and menstruating girls needing assistance in managing their menstrual hygiene at school. It has however been revealed that most of the participants confirmed that menstrual hygiene management services are delivered poorly at school level. In their study, Sommer, Caruso, Sahim, Calderon, Cavill, and Mahon (2016) vi revealed the same findings saying that most schools in developing counties, especially in rural areas, have inadequate facilities including water supply for girls to wash hands, external genitalia and soiled clothes and they do not have provisions for privacy like soap, sanitary pads and disposal of soiled sanitary pads. The study recommends all menstruating girls should be given appropriate support for their menstruation such as enough sanitary pads, girls’ friendly infrastructure in order to study holistically.