For millions of women and girls across Africa, menstruation remains a source of suffering shrouded in silence undiagnosed disorders, unaffordable care, and stigma that forces them to endure pain behind closed doors.
This year’s Women’s Health Summit, convening August 8 in Johannesburg under the theme “Access Granted,” aims to fundamentally reframe how the continent addresses what organisers call a silent menstrual health emergency.
“Period poverty goes beyond a donation of sanitary pads,” said Bianca Nyamuparadza, founder of Gynae Warriors Network and the driving force behind the summit.
“There are girls living with undiagnosed diseases for years. There is bullying, untreated trauma, lack of healthcare, lack of education and the inability to afford specialist treatment.”
Nyamuparadza’s 16-year advocacy journey began with her own frustration.
As a young woman experiencing severe menstrual symptoms, she was repeatedly told her pain was “normal” until she turned to Google.
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“When I discovered Google, I realised I wasn’t crazy. Everything I was experiencing was documented. The problem was not that the conditions did not exist, but that people simply didn’t know about them.”
That revelation sparked Shine in 2010, now a pan-African movement expanding from Zimbabwe into multiple countries through ambassadors and advocates.
Yet stigma remains the greatest barrier.
“Many women don’t want to be seen as part of the movement because society immediately associates menstrual disorders with infertility,” Nyamuparadza indicated.
“They prefer to suffer behind closed doors rather than face judgement.”
The cost of care compounds the crisis, with consultations exceeding US$100 before diagnostic tests and treatment, an insurmountable barrier for most.
Even those who can afford care face months-long waits for specialists.
Nyamuparadza envisions a coordinated approach across all sectors such as training teachers to identify menstrual health challenges, equipping hospitality industries to support travellers with severe disorders, and engaging every ministry because “menstrual health affects education, tourism, workplaces, families and communities.”
The summit will bring together healthcare professionals, policymakers, entrepreneurs and community leaders for keynote addresses, panel discussions, investment conversations and wellness experiences, all aimed at transforming awareness into action.
“This crisis requires more than short-term interventions,” Nyamuparadza said.
“We need lasting solutions, and that requires all of us working together.”