CHALI MULENGA
Livingstone
Livingstone Mayor Constance Muleabai has called for an end to period shame, urging communities to unite in creating a period-friendly world.
Speaking during the Menstrual Hygiene Day 2025 commemorations at Mwandi Community School, held under the theme “Together for a Period-Friendly World.”
Ms Muleabai challenged menstrual stigma and encouraged girls to embrace their menstrual cycles with confidence.
“We should not feel ashamed to be girls. Men will stop attacking us if we start being proud of our periods,” she said, addressing pupils, teachers, and advocates from the Pad-A-Girl Campaign, which organised the event.
Ms Muleabai said there was a need for women and girls to pay attention to their menstrual health and manage their periods with dignity and preparedness.
The commemoration included the distribution of sanitary pads to pupils, alongside a campaign to promote menstrual health education and tackle period poverty.
Praising the Pad-A-Girl Campaign for its work in empowering girls through access to hygiene products, Ms Muleabai said:
“Schools like Mwandi must be safe spaces where girls are supported, not sidelined. Too many still miss class each month due to lack of pads. This must change.”
She urged girls to track their cycles and seek support when needed.
“Be aware of your body and prepare. Menstrual health is your right, not a privilege,” she said.
Ms Muleabai also pledged to expand access to menstrual products in public institutions and called on parents and communities to play an active and supportive role.
“Let parents support their daughters, and God will bless you. We must all stand together,” she said.
Pad-A-Girl Campaign director Estrol Meleki, of the Estrol Meleki Foundation, also he reaffirmed the initiative’s commitment to menstrual dignity.
“Real change starts at the grassroots—in schools and communities like ours. No girl should miss school or suffer in silence because of menstruation,” he said.
He praised the mayor’s attendance as a signal of leadership’s role in advancing menstrual equity.
“Your worship, your presence sends a powerful message that no girl should be left behind due to her period,” he said.
Mr Meleki stressed that breaking taboos around menstruation requires collaboration among government, civil society, and communities.
He acknowledged that significant challenges persist, particularly in rural areas, where access to hygiene products remains limited and cultural stigma endures.
“To the girls of Mwandi Community School—your dreams are valid. Menstruation is not a limitation; it is a sign of strength,” he said.
He called on the need to normalise conversations about menstruation and to invest in sustainable menstrual health solutions.
“Together, we can—and we will—build a period-friendly world,” he said.
The Pad-A-Girl Campaign continues to distribute sanitary products, run awareness programmes, and advocate for menstrual equity across underserved schools and communities in Zambia.
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