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Photo: @Hyasintha Ntuyeko
Paying respects to Tanzanian SHEro, Rehema Darueshi
Before we dive in and serve up victories and MHH events, we would like to take a moment and collectively pay our respects to Rehema Darueshi, a good-natured and longstanding advocate for women and girls with disabilities in Tanzania. A primary teacher, leader of Tanzania League of the Blind, an influential community leader, and an overall incredible advocate for improving MHH in Tanzania, Rehema was a beloved member of the community who will be greatly missed. Rehema passed due to COVID-19 on April 22, 2020.
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MH Hub Menstrual Warrior Spotlight
INNOVATION
By way of the Global Menstrual Map of over 650 organizations, we get to know so many wonderful organizations in the MHH community. With our #menstrualwarriorspotlight, we strive to highlight menstrual health excellence and give more exposure to the small, mighty community-based organizations.
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Her Turn works with Nepal's rural adolescent boys and girls, running transformative workshops which engage them in discussions that examine and challenge gender inequalities and harmful social norms. In these discussions menstruation is an important part of the curriculum! |
Project KHEL is a non-profit based in India teaching through play about topics such as menstrual health and gender representation. They also run the Red Spot initiative which helps adolescent girls re-evaluate their periods positively and older women reflect on and understand their menstruation. |
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Finally, we want to give a big shout out to Aisle (formerly Lunapads) who just won an award from the Canadian government for their menstrual equity work! CanWaCH awarded Aisle their first ever private Sector Excellence Award, which recognizes an organization that has significantly contributed to the advancement of gender equality and the global health of women and children.
Incredible #MenstrualWarriors, all of them!
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New MH Day Artwork
ACTIVISM / ADVOCACY
All of May is International Period Month. To cap off this month is Menstrual Hygiene on May 28th. One thing we've noticed is that when it comes to periods, hygiene can be a dirty word. To help influence the conversation, sign the petition to transition from 'hygiene' to 'health' in the future.
Since 2014, MH Day has been a global advocacy platform to bring together the voices and actions of non-profits, government agencies, individuals, the private sector and the media to promote good menstrual hygiene for all women, girls and people who menstruate.
MH Day just released their 2020 campaign artwork, and boy does it look phenomenal! Created by a variety of different artists, the campaign is focused on creating a menstrual cycle bracelet as a sign of unity across the world. Don't forget to use the hashtags #MHDay2020 & #ItsTimeForAction! #MenstruationMatters is always nice, too!
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COVID-19 Resource Update
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Afripads Turn 10 Years Old!
INNOVATION
Every day starting on May 18 until MH Day 2020, AFRIpads will be showcasing MHH champions that, from their perspective, is deeply committed to empowering women and girls through improving MHH worldwide. The social enterprise has symbolically chosen to profile 10 individuals because this year, it is celebrating #ADecadeOfAFRIpads, meaning AfriPads is turning 10 years old!
From schoolgirls in rural Uganda to international artists using their music to support the period poverty movement, AFRIpads hopes to shine a light on the reality that menstrual health is a global issue that affects everybody. Follow a #ADecadeOfAFRIpads on their Facebook, Instagam & Twitter accounts below!
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©UNICEF/UN0122322/Faffin
On our blog & Medium
Looking Back at the MHM Virtual Conference Over the Years
Within the growing field of Menstrual Health & Hygiene (MHH), it is of the utmost importance to pool existing resources and evaluate the research that has already been produced. By utilizing lessons from other researchers and educational initiatives, we create space for continued progress and more success, as opposed to duplicating efforts and moving in circles.
Read more about the key takeaways from the conference here...
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Pivoting Periods:
Adapting to Increase Impact around MHH
This live webinar will focus on how social enterprises working in menstrual health and hygiene globally have developed and adapted their business models to respond to changes in their operating environment. Feat. Ruby Cup, AFRIpads & Kasha operating in East Africa.
May 18th, 2020,
9-11AM ET / 3-5PM CET / 4-6PM EAT
Register here
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Menstrual Hygiene in Fragile and Humanitarian Contexts
Join the Canadian Partnership for Women & Children’s Health (CanWaCH) for a special webinar highlighting MH in fragile and humanitarian contexts. This webinar will end with a Q&A session and an opportunity to share upcoming plans for MH Day.
May 20th, 2020
1-2PM EST / 7-8PM CET / 8-9PM EAT
Register here
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Virtual Conference on MHM in
WASH in Schools
The 8th Virtual Conference on MHM in Schools provides an opportunity to share the latest research and programming from around the world. The conference is expected to bring together over 1,000 participants online from around the world. #MHMConf
May 21st, 2020
7-11AM EST / 1-5PM CET /
2-6PM EAT
Register here
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Women's Health Tech Challenge - Virtual
The HITLAB Women's Health Tech Challenge will see four Femtech innovators pitch their disruptive healthcare solutions. The challenge focuses on emerging technology applications and systems that improve medical care and the provision of healthcare among women worldwide.
May 21st, 2020
2-5PM ET / 8-11pm CET /
9PM-12AM EAT
Register here
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Making the Case for Menstrual Health: Lessons from the Field
May 26th, 2020
8-9 am ET / 1-2PM CET / 3-4PM EAT
Register here
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MHM & COVID19 Lessons
May 27th, 2020
8AM ET / 2PM CET / 3PM EAT
Register here
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May 28, 2020, 8AM ET/ 3PM GMT / 4PM EAT
One World Period. is an opportunity for the global menstrual health community to share encouragement and inspiration. Through celebrating diversity, collaboration and unity, we become stronger at a time when we are needed more than ever. Current features include: an inter-generational Period Chat, how to bake vulva fairy cakes, questions and answers with Menstrual Health experts, community yoga, Period Poetry & a panel discussion on why periods matter.
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FEMTECH FORUM 2020
the first global virtual conference about FemTech
The FemTech Forum is a celebration of innovation in women's health, spotlighting tech-powered solutions and products that are disrupting the marketing and changing our everyday lives for the better.
June 25th, 10AM - 7PM CET
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1. Nalugya et al., 2020: Assessing the effectiveness of a comprehensive menstrual health intervention program in Ugandan schools (MENISCUS): process evaluation of a pilot intervention study. A process evaluation employed both quantitative and qualitative methods was conducted to examine the implementation of MENISCUS, context, and possible causal pathway. The intervention included five menstrual health and hygiene (MHH) components (1) puberty education, (2) drama skit, 3. menstrual management kit (including reusable pads) and training, (4) pain management (including provision of analgesics), and (5) improvements to school water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities.
Results: Multilevel contextual factors including schools’ social and physical environment, as well as family, cultural, and social factors influenced the acceptability of the intervention. Overall, the MENISCUS MHH intervention was feasible to deliver and acceptable to the students and the schools.
2. Smith et al., 2020: National Monitoring for Menstrual Health and Hygiene: Is the Type of Menstrual Material Used Indicative of Needs Across 10 Countries? Secondary analyses of existing publicly available data of Performance Monitoring and Accountability (PMA) surveys from 12 settings (7 national- and 5 city/state-level) in 10 countries were undertaken to investigate the performance of menstrual pad use as an indicator of whether menstrual product needs are met at the population level. Results: Menstrual product use is not an indicator of menstrual product need and relying on menstrual pad use as an indicator of met menstrual product needs misrepresents the experiences of low-income, less educated, and rural pad users. The authors recommend developing accurate indicators of menstrual health at the population level that are reflective of menstruators’ experiences and an agreed-upon definition of menstrual health.
3. Sommer et al., 2020: Improving the Impact of menstrual health innovations in low- and middle-income countries: a theory of change and measurement framework. This paper highlights the importance of utilising both Theory of Change (TOC) and Monitoring and Evaluation Frameworks to develop more scalable solutions for menstrual hygiene management (MHM) at the global level. This paper recommends (1) Development of a more holistic TOC that encompasses the entirety of the MHM definition and tackles other aspects such as WASH interventions and (2) Need for evaluating and enhancing the robustness of MHM indicators.
4. WoMena, 2020: MENSTRUAL CUP PILOT INTERVENTION IN ADJUMANI DISTRICT UGANDA - Final Implementation Report. A pilot intervention was carried out amongst adolescent girls in two secondary schools of in Refugee Settlements in the Adjumani District of Uganda over a period of 14 months to assess the acceptability and possible potential impacts of Bfree menstrual cups (MCs) as a menstrual health management (MHM) method for girls in the refugee context. The primary target group was girls and boys in schools, male and female teachers and health workers within the humanitarian context. Results: Despite initial concerns about the MC, a product uptake of 91% (N=58) in comparison to 57% (N=49) captured at midline, there was a 34% increase in MC usage and acceptability within the two months following the initial follow-up and refresher training. After getting over the initial fear of using the MC, users reported the MC being comfortable to use. Access to clean water for rinsing the MCs was the biggest barrier, although girls found ways around it by carrying a bottle of water with them to the school latrine/washrooms. At end line, there was a reported change in school attendance as out of ten interviewed girls from both schools, 60% of them reported not missing any school days after receiving the MC. 76% (44 out of 58) stated that they did not feel embarrassed in their last menstrual period and 95% (55 out of 58) said they felt comfortable during their last period compared to 72% at baseline.
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660 registered & going strong!
The Menstrual Health Hub has the most comprehensive overview of who is doing what, where, around menstrual health and periods, worldwide.
The Menstrual Map has over 24,000 views to date!
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