Published on : 12/07/2022 – 11:57Modified : 12/07/2022 – 11:55
It is called “Weerwi”, which means “the month”, or “the moon” in the Wolof language and it is a project initiated by the social enterprise Apiafrique. His observation: young girls and women still too often lack reliable and appropriate information on menstruation and the menstrual cycle in general.
With our correspondent in Dakar, Charlotte Idrac
When Marie-Pauline Mendy, 19, had her first period, she was a bit lost: “ I thought it was a little sore on my lips. I was a little ashamed! “The young woman tested the new Weerwi app, which offers daily advice, games, or even a “chatbot”, a program that answers questions. ” I was able to understand a lot of things, for example, we tell you the cycle of how many days, the days of ovulation, what you have to do “, adds the young woman.
« Here, we are on the app and there, there is a cursor pointing to today’s date, I am in a red circle, which means that I have my period. Well, I have my period and I’m supposed to be a little frustrated maybe, nervous and for advice of the day: “Sometimes writing is good, because it frees” “, explains Soukeyna Ouedraogo, the manager of the program “Let’s change the rules” for Apiafrique.
Nearly one in two girls misses school due to menstruation
According to the creators of Weerwi, “ 84% of young Senegalese say they are not ready to welcome their periods serenely “. At least, ” 45% of young girls miss school at least once a month because of their periods. They are also very interested in all questions of hygiene, smell in general, this tool will allow them above all to explore, learn, browse, it’s quite an adventure in fact the menstrual cycle… », Estimates Soukeyna Ouedraogo.
A free, colorful and benevolent app, to “play down” the rules.
Why is it taboo? Because it’s linked to sexuality here! As soon as we talk regarding the rules, be careful, we open a door! There are also a lot of beliefs around the rules, the main connotation is that it’s dirty, it’s impure… It’s changing positively, but we feel there, there’s a little break between the generations.
Marina Gning, general manager of the company Apiafrique, at the origin of the Weerwi project
