Success Capital Organisation is launching a campaign for the free provision of sanitary pads for all people who menstruate. The ‘End Period Poverty in Botswana’ (#EPPBW) campaign acknowledges that people who menstruate are diverse and often further impeded by harmful gender norms, societal perception and variant forms of stigma that perpetuate the policing of bodies by the state, patriarchy and those in power.
#EPPBW recognizes the power of Bodily Autonomy and Integrity[1], central to our founding work as early as 2015[2] when advocacy on SRHR issues for LGBTI youth were nonexistent. This does not negate the inroads made in the broader HIV response, but further affirms how the most vulnerable and forgotten communities are neglected by ableist, institutionally racist, anti-poor and classist policies, knowledge production, state programming and service delivery.
Success Capital Organisation’s commitment to intersectionality is reflected in our first externally funded project in 2014[3], weaving in issues of Art, Queerness and Climate. This is a testament to our future-fit programming, participatory philosophy and belief in a feminist future [4].
The challenging resourcing landscape, higher middle income country status and neoliberal capitalist structures of acceptability and normative civil society engagement meant Success Capital Organisation’s work was and continues to be underfunded, sexualised, politicized and erased or denied space as a virtue of being considered radical, angry and Pan African.
These only reflect the broader anti-gender ideology, conservative, colonial and imperialist elements that continue to harm and deny African womxn dignity, regard and reparative justice. Thus, like the constituents, foundation and philosophy of our work; voice and visibly of under-served and under-resourced feminists will continue to challenge privilege, power and patriarchy through intersectional and care centered approaches[5].
It is imperative that our work in a) providing community health, GBV and human rights abuse referral services, b) policy influencing for affirming marginalised communities in service delivery and accountability, c) citizen transformation for public, economic and governance participation, and d) volunteer-backed giving through time, skills, donations and logistics, most notably in donating sanitary pads across the country and basic hygiene products for children living in impoverished areas: continue to be linked to variant forms of healing, storytelling and giving[6].
Our storytelling[7] and various ways of engagement[8] continue to be innovative and engaging of multi-stakeholders that include Local and National Government[9], Tribal Administration, Civil Society[10], Development Partner[11] and Diplomatic Corp[12] representatives that are aligned to or supporting of feminist grassroots action.
Our campaign like most of our work remains open source, without intellectual claim to social justice or prescription of how stakeholders can contribute. However, it demands that all pay attention to the plight of the girl children in all their diversity and continue to find ways in conversations and within respective spheres of influence to do better for Batswana.
In this regard we present a petition, as one part of this broader campaign towards a more equitable, just and enabling society that is does less harm, encourages more solidarity and instills botho without bias, stigma or discrimination.
If we have not reached you where you are, please make your mark by signing on to the petition here
References
[1] BAI – working on unraveling, co-creating and advocating nuances of gender identity, expression and equality through knowledge development and sharing in visual and narrative formats for community, traditional leadership, local government and civil society influencing.
[2] Botswana Report – queer youth report published in 2016 with data collected in 2015.
[3] Art Climate LGBT – reflections report from that focused on Queer ARTivism for climate change preceding The Paris Agreement published in 2015 but co-created, actioned and conceptualised in 2014.
[4] FeministA – a ground breaking future forward thinking body of work anchored on love work.
[5] Philanthropy – reflecting and critiquing realities of grassroots experiences within the philanthropy ecosystem.
[6] Queer Christmas – providing a safe space away from homes filled with prejudice, stigma and discrimination.
[7] Citizen Documentaries – on various neglected, erased and underserved issues targeting decision makers, with the most successful being screened at a Ministry of Health and Wellness strategic review on an assessment of unintended pregnancies and unsafe abortion in July 2021. Also screening for stakeholders including media (or here) and community.
[8] Engagements – affirming and strengthening individual agency through co-creative and collaborative engagements for community including those from indigenous, ethnic, gender, sexual, disability minorities.
[9] June 16 – during one of our handover donations in Francistown, in partnership with the Ministry of Basic Education and Botswana Nurses Union. 12 August – commemorating International Youth Day 2021 and a soft launch to our petition, targeting 100,000 physical signatures for free sanitary pads for Batswana.
[10].Feminist Dialogue – with different civil society actors.
[11] UNFPA Botswana – which provide space for engagement and links to different stakeholders.
[12] French Embassy – which supported a project aimed at more inclusive COVID-19 response and recovery measures for Queer Youth