Menstruation is a potent source of stigma and discrimination for women and girls in Côte d'Ivoire. Open conversations and better access to menstrual products are helping to dismantle harmful beliefs and combat period poverty.
Period poverty is a harsh reality facing many women and girls in Côte d’Ivoire. Photo: Alan, via Flickr
An 11-year-old girl stood in front of a dozen of her peers and said, without flinching, "I don’t want to have my period. I don’t want to become a woman. There is nothing good that comes from becoming a woman." Aby Kone Kamate recounted this incident at a recent school talk, still shaken by the comment.
The founder of Arc-en-Ciel du Bonheur (“Rainbow of Happiness”), an NGO that provides support to vulnerable women and children and regularly organises speaking circles (sessions moderated by social workers in which participants can access support) in schools across Côte d'Ivoire’s economic capital, Abidjan, is often confronted with this kind of messaging that young girls ingest and regurgitate.
“I don’t blame the mothers. They share what they were also told by their mothers, and their mothers before them,” Kamate says. “Some of them conflate the beginning of a girl’s menstruation journey with the hardships that, in their experience, come from being a wife, a mother, and someone who has to survive and take care of others. They don’t consider that they may be creating anxieties and fear in their daughters by talking about periods this way.”
In Côte d'Ivoire, as in other parts of the world, menstruation is more than just a monthly cycle; it’s a source of stigma, discrimination, and hardship for countless women and girls. Despite being a natural biological process, it remains shrouded in myths and taboos, affecting the lives of many and perpetuating period poverty—a lack of access to the products, safe water, and sanitation needed to manage menstrual hygiene.
Myths, misconceptions, and perpetuated ignorance
“There is a huge lack of communication around menstruation at the national, community, and family level,” says Andrea Avi, the 29-year-old founder of Yerhe, a small business based in Abidjan that produces reusable fabric-based period protection.
“When a young girl has her first period, she often feels too embarrassed to talk to her mother about it, so she turns to a friend. That’s also how the misinformation spreads. So many young girls don’t know enough about their menstrual cycle, period protection, and hygiene, and what options are best for their health,” she adds.
“It’s only by having open conversations about the menstrual cycle, period hygiene, bad experiences, pains, infections, and all those things that we can share real knowledge and reduce period poverty.”
Yerhe is one of a growing number of women-led companies across Côte d'Ivoire that offer an alternative to the typical disposable period pads available at convenience stores, which are expensive and can contain irritating chemicals. Avi was first motivated by her struggle with products sold on the market. She realised after years of infections and allergic reactions that there needed to be chemical-free, durable, and economical options in Côte d’Ivoire.
Yerhe’s other mandate is to dismantle the shame that too often obscures a woman’s relationship with her period. “It’s only by having open conversations about the menstrual cycle, period hygiene, bad experiences, pains, infections, and all those things that we can share real knowledge and reduce period poverty,” Avi says.
Reusable period pads produced by Yerhe in Côte d'Ivoire offer an alternative to expensive disposable pads that often contain chemicals. Photo: Yerhe
There are indeed a host of misconceptions and falsehoods that stem from a lack of reliable information about menstrual health. A common and harmful preconceived notion is that discussing menstruation openly encourages girls to become sexually active at a younger age. This fear prevents vital education on menstrual health, leaving many girls uninformed and vulnerable.
“Menstruation illiteracy is a plague,” says Kamate, recounting an instance during one of her speaking circles where one man shared that he did not want his daughter to know too much about menstruation because he was scared that she would wind up pregnant.
“I asked him point blank: ‘Would you rather [she be] an informed young woman who makes responsible decisions or one who knows nothing about sex and lives her life not knowing how to protect herself?’ I instantly saw that something clicked for him,” Kamate says.
Where gender prejudice and traditional beliefs intersect
Traditional customs and religious beliefs further entrench the stigma around menstruation. Menstruating women are often deemed dirty or impure, leading to their exclusion from social, religious, and cultural activities.
Studies in different countries show thousands of girls in sub-Saharan Africa miss school during their menstruation, and some eventually drop out entirely. This is due to a lack of access to sanitary products, inadequate menstrual hygiene facilities, and the ongoing stigma surrounding menstruation.
Madoussou Toure, a community worker for SMED-CI (Support for Mothers and Children in Distress) who focuses on helping women and girls in vulnerable situations, recounts, “We hold awareness days with girls and boys. We ask boys about menstruation, and we notice how they too contribute to exacerbating the taboo and perpetuating the shame. We often hear them say, ‘It’s dirty blood that comes out of a girl’s body’.”
Menstrual stigma has ancient roots, and one striking example comes from the Bible. Leviticus 15:19-33 is often cited to illustrate how deeply ingrained these beliefs are. According to this passage, a woman becomes ‘unclean’ during her menstruation, as does anything she touches or lies on. In Islam, women are not allowed to pray until their period is over and must perform a cleansing ritual called “ghusl” before resuming it.
In Côte d’Ivoire, where the population is almost equally split between Christians and Muslims, these religious rules have a tangible impact on the lives of women and girls. Many are still subjected to harmful practices and discrimination during their menstrual cycles, often seen as impure or untouchable. This not only affects their social interactions but also limits their participation in education and work.
“In my view, these beliefs are shared across religions and ethnic groups in our country. There are households where when a girl or woman has her period, she can’t cook and can’t be in the kitchen, because she’s considered dirty,” Toure says.
The harsh reality of period poverty
Several years ago, Toure began assisting and pleading for women’s period rights in one of the most challenging environments for menstruating women: prison. After a chance work visit at the largest prison in Abidjan, where some 10,000 inmates live, including a minority of 300 women, the need became evident. Since then, she’s raised awareness and funds for menstrual health, and collected period products and distributed them across prisons in the city and in rural areas.
“Women in prisons suffer doubly—they are deprived of freedom, often awaiting a trial that will take too long to happen, and forced to manage menstruation in harsh conditions, where fights often arise due to scarce resources,” Toure explains.
According to the social activist, periods are a source of violence and, at times, chaos. “Imagine their reality: They live in closed quarters with no resources and bundled together with other women. They deal with all the hormonal fluctuations that come from having a cycle, but most of them don’t know anything about that,” she says.
A 2022 UNICEF analysis of menstrual health highlighted that 20% of girls in Côte d’Ivoire miss school during their periods due to a lack of sanitary products and access to menstrual hygiene management facilities.
Across the country, period poverty is the harsh reality facing many women and girls. A 2019 survey by the journal Collegium Anthropologicum indicated that many women in Côte d’Ivoire use improvised materials for menstrual hygiene management, such as old rags or toilet paper, which can lead to health issues. A 2022 UNICEF analysis of menstrual health highlighted that 20% of girls in Côte d’Ivoire miss school during their periods due to a lack of sanitary products and access to menstrual hygiene management facilities.
This is why Avi strongly believes reusable pads are better suited for women in Côte d’Ivoire. Yerhe charges an average of USD$10 for a kit of four pads that can be used for one year, but she is aware that in a country where 70–90% of the working population is part of the informal sector and earns income by providing services or selling items, it is not a realistic purchase.
Her company has therefore been collaborating with NGOs to make the products accessible to women in disenfranchised communities. “The idea is that the women and girls who lack access to sanitary pads can obtain our reusable pads for a portion of the price or free of charge,” Avi says.
Seeking government support and scalable action
Despite the efforts of activists like Avi, Kamate, and Toure, government support remains minimal and sporadic. Policies and funding for menstrual health initiatives are inadequate, leaving local and international NGOs to struggle with limited resources.
“We need the government’s support to make a real impact. Right now, we’re doing the best we can with very limited resources. There are so many activists, social workers, NGOs, and social businesses doing their part. But there’s only so much change we can affect with our small initiatives,” Toure says.
Avi agrees, explaining, “We would love to do more, but we still have to grow as a business and make a profit if we want to survive. It would make a world of difference if the government subsidised our products so as to make them affordable to anyone.”
Toure also advocates for more synergy among the organisations working on these issues. “It’s our responsibility to join our efforts, collaborate, and lobby the government and aid donors together. We’re stronger when we come together,” she says.
Despite the challenges, there is hope. Increasing awareness and education can change perceptions, combat stigma, and empower women and girls. Kamate says Arc-en-Ciel du Bonheur’s slogan, ‘Red is life’, encourages women to see menstruation as a source of strength and power.
“It is part of what allows us to create life,” she says. “It’s something to be proud of. I would even say it’s something to celebrate.”
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