Miriam Madziwa

With just eight years to go before the 2015 target for achieving the Millennium Development Goals one would expect to hear accounts of how motherhood is increasingly becoming a safer experience for women as countries strive to fulfil the fifth development goal of "improving maternal health". Sadly, this is not the case for the majority of Zimbabwean women.

With her unkempt hair tucked into a woolen hat, a faded T-shirt, skirt and a pair of torn canvas shoes, Nokhuthula Tshuma* does not fit the stereotypical profile of a commercial sex worker. Yet, the mother of three, like thousands of impoverished Zimbabwean women, is at great risk of HIV/Aids infection.

During a recent visit to the supermarket to buy an emergency supply of tampons, I bumped into a friend. While checking out the range of products available we were astounded by the astronomical costs of these monthly requirements. A packet of 10 average quality pads costs about Z$500 000, while a well-known brand of tampons averages Z$1 200 000.