There appears to be little awareness of how and what type of assistance young girls require in order to better understand their bodies and periods. Picture: Cliff Booth/Pexels
LoveLife Trust (loveLife), in collaboration with the United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF), has developed the Oky App, a menstrual health and period tracker application.
Menstrual health and hygiene are subjects that are frequently discussed, and there is a pressing need to address them with greater seriousness.
However, there appears to be little awareness of how and what type of assistance young girls require in order to better understand their bodies.
Various studies, including one conducted by the University of Stellenbosch (Letsoalo, 2019), have revealed that 30% of girls miss school while on their periods, leading to a steadily increasing rate of absenteeism among girls at school.
Another survey found that 7.7 million of South Africa’s 22 million menstruating women and young girls lacked the funds to acquire sanitary goods.
The Oky app’s main differentiating feature is accessibility. It is zero-rated, eliminating any barriers to obtaining services and useful information.
Furthermore, the app was released in four languages: English, IsiZulu, Xitsonga, and Afrikaans.
“There are continuous challenges such as the lack of access to clean or consistent running water and appropriate bathing facilities, further exacerbating stigmatisation. Poverty in most parts of our country makes it challenging for some parents and girls to afford sanitary towels.
“Studies such as the one conducted by MIET Africa assert that absenteeism can often be due to period-related pain and general feelings of being unwell, as well as fear of leakage of menstrual blood, especially when there is limited access to menstrual product,” said the acting chief executive of loveLife, Dr Doreen Kosi.
It intends to add more official languages in the future to ensure that all adolescent girls in South Africa may optimally use it for themselves and support their peers.
loveLife urged parents, carers, guardians, educators, and other adults to get engaged and encourage young girls to learn about and understand their bodies in order to improve their health and, most importantly, protect them.
IOL