Menstrual Hygiene Day: 5 Ways to Create a Period-Friendly World

Menstrual Hygiene Day, which is observed on May 28th, is a great reminder to continue to address the challenges women and girls face when it comes to menstruation. This year’s theme is #PeriodFriendlyWorld and it resonates deeply, especially in Kenya where menstrual hygiene management is a noteworthy public health issue due to problems such as poverty and inadequate menstrual health education among other factors. 

In honor of Menstrual Hygiene Day 2024, let’s explore 5 ways in which we can all make efforts to create a more period-friendly world here in Kenya and beyond.

1. Speaking About Menstruation

The topic of menstruation is often surrounded by taboo and stigma, hence the possibility of misinformation and even shame when talking about it. In many African countries, this has proven to be the case, with many younger girls not getting the information they need before they get their menses. Embracing the topic and speaking up about it is a great way to start, which ensures that the conversations happen and menstrual education reaches all women and girls. Organizations such as ZanaAfrica do a great job educating young girls and doing community outreach work, therefore shifting perspectives around menstruation.

2. Access to Menstrual Products

Access to affordable menstrual products is a great issue, especially in Kenya. According to a report from the Department for Gender and Affirmative Action, many girls from poor families miss up to 20% of school days because of the lack of sanitary towels. This is due to the already high cost of living, and therefore the high cost of sanitary pads. When young girls cannot afford sanitary towels, it also means that they cannot maintain the proper menstrual hygiene expected of them during their times of the month. Anyone who can help a girl near them access menstrual products or acquire an education about it would be doing great justice to girls all over the world.

3. Menstrual Hygiene Education in Schools

Incorporating menstrual education in schools would be a great way to continue to ensure a period-friendly world. In addition, educating girls about proper menstrual hygiene in the same curriculum would be beneficial to many. While educating girls is great, involving boys in this education is also a great way to move forward with the agenda of a period-friendly world. Making boys aware helps them understand and in turn, this also reduces the stigma around the topic. Creating, implementing, and utilizing programs such as the ones by WASH United is a great way to ensure effective training sessions around the topic of menstruation while creating confidence in girls.

4. Community Involvement

Community involvement is one of the ways to ensure success in most of the menstrual hygiene initiatives. It is important to find a community organization near you to volunteer especially with raising awareness and being an advocate for menstrual hygiene. Movements that do this are also such an integral part of society because they ensure that the dialogue about menstrual hygiene continues especially in rural communities where access to information is limited. Community leaders should also make the effort to organize campaigns in their communities that push for dialogue on menstrual hygiene management. 

5. Supporting Vulnerable Populations

Vulnerable situations in this case could refer to the situations in which girls find themselves facing extreme challenges in managing their menstrual hygiene. For instance, girls living in awfully poor communities, refugee camps, or even those with disabilities need extra support. Organizations such as the Kenya Red Cross have partnerships that intervene to support such populations. Smaller organizations and foundations also put a lot of effort into ensuring that they give back in one way or another that supports girls in vulnerable situations and should be recognized for the same. 

Conclusion

Menstrual Hygiene is important to us all and this Menstrual Hygiene Day 2024 should serve as a reminder to us about the ongoing need to create a #PeriodFriendlyWorld. Let us make an effort in our communities to break the silence on menstruation and try our best to get as many people as possible educated. Let us continue to advocate for change while also celebrating the progress made already. Every girl deserves to be fought for, and most of all has the right to menstrual health and dignity around menstrual hygiene management.