To mark the month of the International Menstrual Hygiene Day, 28th of May, Hope for Future Generations (HFFG), Association of African Women in Development (AAWID) and Youth Support Foundation (YSF) are partnering with Real Relief, Global Goals World Cup (GGWC), UNYA Denmark and partners in 26 countries, in kicking off a transnational dialogue on Menstrual health throughout the month of May.
Each day from the 1st to the 28th of May, the campaign is going to zoom in on the biggest challenges related to menstrual health and hygiene in each partnering country. It is done through a virtual campaign starting in Denmark, and by symbolically kicking a football, with the SDGs printed on it, from country to country. As such, each country is dedicated one campaign day, and ours is on the (23rd May 2021.)
Follow the campaign on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Kick-off-the-Dialogue-on-Menstrual-Health-101325008747742
BACKGROUND
The difficulties facing girls and women across the world in relation to menstrual health and hygiene are numerous and unacceptable. The topic of menstrual health continues to be a taboo subjected to shame and stigma. The lack of access to information, education, and products to manage one’s period with dignity and pride are essential. More than 500 million girls and women worldwide are not able to manage their period hygienically and with dignity. Ultimately, this puts girls and women at risk of infection and disease, of early pregnancy, and of missing out on an education.
With this campaign, we share a common goal of putting menstrual hygiene on the agenda. We will do so with reference to the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations (SDGs). As we kick off the dialogue, we aim to improve girls and women’s health, rights and opportunities for quality education, gender equality, and safe sanitation and hygiene (SDG 3, 4, 5 and 6).
THE CAMPAIGN AND LOCAL PARTNERS
Hope for Future Generations (HFFG), Association of African Women in Development (AAWID) and Youth Support Foundation (YSF) are national Community-Based Non-Governmental Organisations which focuses on empowering women, children and young people including persons with disabilities to live to their full potential in the most dignified manner. These organisations have decided to partner to implement projects especially projects on menstrual hygiene Management.
Hope for Future Generations is a Women’s led National Community-based Non-Governmental Organisation registered and operating in all 16 regions of Ghana.
The focus of HFFG is empowering women, children, and young people including the marginalized and underserved communities in Ghana to develop their full potentials. Menstrual Hygiene Management has been one of its core interventions over the years and has taken various forms including Water Sanitation and Hygiene, Adolescent sexual and reproductive health and high-level dialogue with policymakers and stakeholders on menstrual hygiene.
In July 2020, HFFG launched its anniversary by embarking on a legacy project dubbed ‘Pads for Girls Everywhere’. The aim of the project was to partner with institutions and benevolent organisations and individuals to provide 3 million pads for girls across the country.
The project was also in response to the persisting challenges girls and women face in Ghana due to poverty, lack of or limited information on menstruation and menstrual hygiene and other cultural factors which make the subject taboos in parts of the country.
The Association of African Women in Development is a non-governmental, non-profit organisation operating in Ghana since 2001.
AAWID is committed to the Sustainable Development Goals and highly believes in the socio-economic advancement of women and youth as well as the vulnerable at the grassroots level. The organization have a strong programme focus in promoting, social justice, Quality Healthcare, Gender Equality through the sensitization of women’s right including gender-based violence whilst advocating for access to equal rights for women and teenagers). Under the Quality Healthcare/family life Education, AAWID is particularly interested in the areas of Sexual Reproductive Health & Rights and awareness creation in Menstrual Hygiene Management which form part of our priority areas.
AAWID has of late extended its operations to remote and under-served communities in Ghana where we have Women’s groups which serve as first point of contact in the dissemination of our advocacy campaigns
Youth Support Foundation is a non-governmental organisation aimed at helping the youth to stay safe and healthy and earn a livelihood as they travel down the road to adulthood to enable them achieve their dreams. The mission of YSF is to inculcate positive social values and attitudes in the youth while acquiring skills and knowledge to enable them become self-sufficient individuals who can contribute positively to their communities and the country at large. YSF guides young people to realise their potential to enable them deal with a wide range of challenges in the various aspects of their educational, economic, social, health, emotional, spiritual and recreational needs. YSF supports skills development training, youth entrepreneurship, reproductive health and HIV/AIDS programmes and promotes formal education all aimed at sustainable development for the youth. In the area formal education promotion, YSF provides scholarships to brilliant and needy children and the distribution of library books and equipment to schools.
HFFG, AAWID and YSF in this Campaign intend to concentrate on:
Sexual and reproductive health- Safe Menstruation is a major component towards ensuring that girls are able to fully enjoy their sexual and reproductive health and rights.
Gender Equality- Limited access to affordable hygienic sanitary materials has negative impact on girls’ education. Opportunities for learning are lost when they are unable to attend classes due to poor Menstrual Hygiene management (MHM).
Period Poverty- Poverty is a major factor that limits many women and girls access to hygienic sanitary materials. Many women and girls in Ghana can’t afford disposable menstrual pads – the most common in Ghana. With COVID-19-related job-losses, this challenges are worsened so the need for reusable sanitary pads which are affordable and environmentally friendly.
The partners will support girls and young women including those living with disabilities as part of their feminine journey to menstruate with dignity by:
I. Receive and kick the SDGs ball upon arrival in Ghana.
ii. Make a Press Release.
iii. Engage decision-makers and traditional leaders in making statements on menstrual hygiene for policy-making purposes.
iv. Engage stakeholders on the need to commit to helping girls and women menstruate with dignity by demystifying taboos and myths around menstruation.
v. Have a month active social media engagement.
INFO ON OTHER PARTNERS
Participating Countries: South Africa, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Romania, India, Namibia, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Malawi, Senegal, Poland, Tanzania, Uganda, England, Myanmar, Sierra Leone, The Philippines, Ghana, Jordan, USA, Nepal, Zimbabwe, Ecuador, Laos.
Real Relief manages the campaign and is a Danish company that produces and distributes innovative and sustainable items for the humanitarian sector. In doing so, they have put menstrual health on the top of their agenda, as they have invented the anti-microbial sanitary pad, Safepad. GGWC is a global football tournament for all-women amateur teams playing to break down barriers and promote local sustainable development. UNYA Denmark is a youth-led, non-profit organization that works to promote and raise awareness amongst youth about the United Nations, as well as UN-affiliated causes, values, and issues.
Real Relief info: https://www.realreliefway.com/
Global Goals World Cup (GGWC) info: https://ggwcup.com/
UNYA Denmark info: http://unya.dk/
FACTS ON MENSTRUAL HYGIENE MANAGEMENT
- Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) refers to the process of living with menstruation, and depends on three overall aspects:
- Knowledge about menstruation, puberty and how to practice good MHM.
- Products: Clean materials to absorb or collect menstrual blood.
- WASH facilities: Private and clean toilet facilities to change sanitary materials as often as necessary, as well as proper disposal facilities for soiled materials. [1]
- At least 500 million women and girls globally lack adequate facilities for MHM.[2]
- According to UNESCO, more than 132 million girls worldwide are missing out on school. [3]
- Some of the reasons are lack of information and education on MHM, a lack of sanitary menstrual hygiene products, period poverty, and a lack of sanitary toilet facilities.[4]
- In some societies, girls and women are considered “unclean” while on their period, and thus for that reason excluded from school as well as from other social events.
- The COVID-19 Pandemic has intensified the already existing challenges that relates to MHM, and it is estimated by UNESCO that 11 million girls, in addition to the 132 million, will not return to school when they open again.[5]
- In relation to COVID-19, PLAN International recommends: Governments must invest in inclusive water, sanitation and hygiene services and facilities; build MHM into Covid-19 health responses; Include MHM in remote learning curriculums; Apply a strong inclusive and participatory lens in the COVID-19 response.