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Image: CSBN
MH Hub & 24 other 'Period Pioneers' Win POWER TOGETHER Award
ADVOCACY
We received the POWER TOGETHER Award hosted by the Women Political Leaders in Reykjavik, Iceland, for our work in helping end period poverty. Our Chief Policy Officer Mariana De La Roche Wills accepted the honor on our behalf. Together with the following 24 other incredible organizations, we are so proud that we have been recognized as a leader in helping grow the global menstrual movement & bring the MH community together.
We will continue to build the global ecosystem, share progress around research, education, policy and innovation, and advocate for menstrual health as a priority in the fight towards gender equality.
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Image: Rockaya Aidara, WSSCC
Menstrual Health & Hygiene makes a big splash at ICPD25
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Led by the Grand Coalition on MHH, the global menstrual community showed up strong and unified, and urged leaders & influencers to 'INVEST IN MENSTRUAL HEALTH & HYGIENE', by committing to reaching the above goals by 2025.
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Image: Terram Pacis
Women* can use their menstrual cycle as a productivity tool
EDUCATION / INNOVATION
There is plenty of data to support the powerful effects that the two main hormones of menstruation, estrogen and progesterone, have on our neurochemistry. Unfortunately, historically most articles on this subject have focused on the negative effects of imbalances in these hormones rather than the potential benefits that can be harnessed when the effects of these hormones are better understood.
Female hormonal cycles have natural and predictable fluctuations that affect mood, energy and cognition. "Women are seeking to shift the imbalances created by the patriarchy, and therefore we must stop modeling our lives on a masculine biochemical 24-hour schedule" says Alicia Vitti, founder of FLOLiving.
(*Not all women menstruate and not all people who menstruate are women.)
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Image: Ruby Cup
You can now be a menstrual cup entrepreneur
(thanks to Ruby Cup!)
INNOVATION
Ruby Cup now has an affiliate program, a.k.a., you can earn a commission on ‘selling’ Ruby Cups. What? Really? As an affiliate partner, you can share your unique link via email, WhatsApp, on your blog, website, YouTube channel or on social media. Every time somebody makes a purchase from your link, you’ll earn a generous 15% commission. There are no limits to the commission you can earn, as long as you respect our terms and conditions.
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Image: Terram Pacis
Period Empowerment Network amplifies impact in Nairobi
RESEARCH / EDUCATION / POLICY / INNOVATION
From October 20-27, youth workers from Atlântica (Portugal), Innetica (Spain), SPARK Philippines, Uganda Youth Skills Training Organization, Erasmus Mundus Association (Belgium), Medyk - Wyższa Szkoła Biznesu i Nauk o Zdrowiu w Łodzi (Poland), DISHA International Foundation Trust (India), Volunteer Action for Change Kenya, Hello Youth (Sweden) came together in Kenya for a TERRAM PACIS + Menstrual Health Hub -led training course called “Pathways to Empowerment in Menstrual Health Awareness”.
Co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union, the PEN-Project seeks to develop the civic spirit and the skills of young & adults learners to raise awareness on MHH and integrate it into existing community-based interventions and campaigns.
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Image: Isabel Infantes/AFP
There is a brand new Vagina Museum in London
INNOVATION
The Vagina Museum is the world’s first bricks and mortar museum dedicated to vaginas, vulvas and the gynaecological anatomy. Currently at Camden Market, the first exhibition, which will run until the end of February, is called Muff Busters: Vagina Myths and How To Fight Them. It looks at misconceptions that surround gynaecological anatomy, including cleanliness, appearance, periods, sex and contraception.
Florence Schechter, Director of the museum, says her motivation behind setting up the space was simple. “I discovered there was a penis museum in Iceland but no vagina equivalent anywhere else so I decided to make one.”
You go girl! Never give up on your dreams.
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A global RESEARCH collaboration with
1. MacLean, Hearle & Ruwanpura, 2020: Stigma of staining? Negotiating menstrual taboos amongst young women in Kenya. Using interviews, focus group discussions and participant diaries with secondary school-aged young women in Oyugis, Kenya, we analyse the everyday experiences and challenges that they face in managing their menses. Through exploring restrictions to their mobilities and spatial practices, we posit the need to consider why and how gender hierarchies exist and are perpetuated.
2. Levy & Romo-Avilés, 2019: “A good little tool to get to know yourself a bit better”: a qualitative study on users’ experiences of app-supported menstrual tracking in Europe. This study concluded that there are benefits to menstrual tracking apps in that they allow users to be more aware of their cycles and learn more about menstruation in general. However, there are some disadvantages such as privacy issues and possibility of distress for users.
3. Giles-Hansen MPH et al. (2019): Experiences from East Africa and lessons in addressing the menstrual hygiene needs of women and girls. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies carried out operational research between 2012 and 2016 in Burundi, Uganda, Somaliland, and Madagascar to better understand the menstrual hygiene management (MHM) needs of women and girls and the challenges they face with menstruation in humanitarian contexts.
4. Garikipati & Phillips-Howar, 2019: What’s the bleeding problem? Policy and Attitudes towards Sustainable Menstrual Hygiene Management in India. A RCT was done among 277 women in 10 slums across Hyderabad to understand the potential for a shift in the use of menstrual materials from pads to more sustainable alternatives. The study was initially designed to test acceptability of menstrual cups and reusable cloth, but menstrual cups were met with considerable opposition from women community leaders and partner organizations.
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Jobs in Menstrual & Female Health
Don't forget to mention that you found the post on the MH Hub!
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Project Manager,
Women's Health
Berlin, Germany
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579 registered and going strong!
The MH Hub has the most comprehensive overview of
who is doing what, where, with regards to periods, worldwide!
Our Menstrual Map has over 18,500 views to date!
Are you in?
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We're here to help you!
The MH Hub Team offers a wide range of strategic consulting services, including Women-Centered Design Workshops, partnership services & any outstanding needs you have around female / menstrual health innovation, education, policy or research.
Get in touch at info@mhhub.org!
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