Global Menstrual Hygiene Day (MH Day) is Saturday, May 28th! This year’s theme is “We Are Committed” and is in alignment with the United Nation’s 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). An essential component to achieving menstrual hygiene sustainability goals is that “everyone can access period-friendly water, sanitation & hygiene facilities everywhere.”
MH DAY IN HAITI
In celebration of MH Day, the PWW team in Haiti in collaboration with trained Community Agents and team members from PWW partner, Soaring Unlimited, will be visiting the students and teachers of Adelphos School in Limonade, Haiti. PWW recently completed a comprehensive WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) facility for this school of over 200 students (learn more).
Fifty (50) students will participate in the planned MH Day activities. The interactive, educational session will enable students to gain an understanding about the following:
- The facts about menstruation and menstrual hygiene management.
- Challenges facing women and girls with managing menstruation.
- Techniques to break the silence surrounding menstrual hygiene in school and the community.
- How to select, use and manage appropriate menstrual hygiene products.
Community Agents will take a lead role in the day’s activities, teaching lessons with the support of the PWW team. They will teach students about menstruation, as a natural process related to the reproductive cycle of women and adolescent girls, and dispel the myth and misunderstanding that menstruation is a “disease.” They will also help students understand that menstruation is a sign of good health and growth.
Community Agents will also talk about the difference between safe and healthy menstrual hygiene practices versus poor menstrual hygiene practices. Students will work in small groups to practice what they learn so they are able to take lessons learned into action. Together, they will address challenges to safely managing menstrual hygiene (i.e. lack of toilets, sanitary products, cultural taboos and knowledge) and work with students to brainstorm ideas for improvement. The essential roles of safe water, sanitation facilities, soap and personal hygiene, and proper waste disposal will be incorporated into the session.
Students will be encouraged to break the silence about menstrual hygiene, using their newfound knowledge, with girls gaining the confidence to effectively manage their menstrual cycles, without shame or misunderstanding.
Students will learn what menstrual hygiene products are available locally, and examples will be presented, with descriptions and training about each.
If you would like to support PWW’s work with schools in Haiti, donations are being matched. Click here to learn more!
MH DAY in HONDURAS
Menstrual Hygiene Day activities will be happening in communities across Honduras. Following are a few examples of events that will be bringing community-wide awareness to this important day:
Puerto Lempiras
Eleven (11) schools will march in the streets of Puerto Lempiras with messages about Menstrual Hygiene Day. Students from other schools will gather at Ramon Rosa School and present murals reflecting what they have learned about menstrual hygiene management (MHM), including civic acts related to menstruation and menstrual hygiene. Medals and will be given to the schools that participate in the event.
Trojes
In the education center in the town of Trojes, students from the General Policarpo Paz Garcia School will conduct civic acts related to what they have learned about menstrual hygiene management, with 9th graders giving a small presentation about MH Day. Schools across Trojes will have important messages about menstruation.
Read our recent blog: Menstrual Hygiene: Empower Girls and Women to learn more about how PWW is working with families and communities to understand, manage and support female menstruation!
Be sure to follow PWW on social media for photos and highlights of all of the activities!
Photos are already coming in! Here are a few:
