Raising Menstrual Health and Hygiene Awareness

For the Saruma Primary and Middle School, March brought more activity thanks to WEEMA’s Menstrual Health and Hygiene Management project. As you read in our last blog post about this project, providing girls with reusable pads keeps girls in school and raises menstrual health and hygiene awareness in the whole community.

This month, midwives who completed their education at Hamlin College of Midwives thanks to WEEMA sponsorship provided additional training on menstrual health and hygiene and sexual reproductive health to 405 students in the school. The training sessions were held for three days between morning and afternoon class sessions so students could attend without interrupting their regular class schedules. The students all welcomed the training and agree that it is important to learn more. They asked WEEMA to continue delivering training and suggested helping other schools as well. We are delighted to tell you that we have taken their advice and are planning to expand to other schools in the next academic year!

A week earlier, WEEMA supported an International Women’s Day Celebration – “Balance for Better” – focused on building a gender-balanced world. Girls and boys performed skits, poems, and songs for the students, teachers, community leaders, PTA members, and district government representatives who attended. Their performances advocated for girls and women as agents of change in the community and addressed topics such as violence against girls/women, the rights of girls/women, and the importance of girls and women’s participation in all community activities.