【Educational Environment】Building skills in reusable sanitary pad making and knowledge on Menstrual Hygiene Management

The second phase of the project on ‘Improvement of school environment to combat Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) challenges to Stop Adolescent Girls’ School Dropouts in Uganda’ has been started with funding from the Lush Charity Bank of Lush Japan, Co., Ltd..

Students holding sanitary pads after training

The key elements of this second phase are to establish/sustain our activities that were implemented in the first phase as well as to spread the use of reusable sanitary pads more extensively so that more girls can stay in school and not drop out due to menstruation.   

At this time, we are going to report on Activity 1.1 ‘Child-to-Child Menstrual hygiene management training (MHM) in schools by building skills in reusable sanitary pad making and knowledge on Menstrual Hygiene Management’ implemented in March 2018

This time we use a Child-to-Child approach (Children who were trained in the first phase will train fellow pupils). The purpose is to train selected children who become a trainer to teach other students about sanitary pad making and menstruation hygiene management.

In total, 18 students (12 girls and 6 boys), including 4 girls and 2 boys who had been trained during the first pilot MHM project, were selected from each of the target schools with the objective of equipping them with skills on how to make reusable sanitary pads.

Content covered:

•       General overview of menstruation
•        Menstrual cycle
•        Signs and symptoms/characteristics of menstruation
•        Cramps and other sensations and natural remedies to cramping
•        Menstrual Hygiene Management
•        Making of reusable sanitary pads

A boy presenting menstruation hygiene management

Students, including boys, making sanitary pads

Girls practice explaining how to use sanitary pads.

Training outcome

•        All the eighteen (18) pupils (12 girls and 6 boys) were able to each make two reusable sanitary pads.
•        Increased confidence; participants could freely give a general overview on menstruation, its misconceptions and the signs and how to deal with them and the menstruation cycle.
•        Participants were able to mention most of the good hygiene practices for proper management of menstruation including proper disposal of used menstrual absorbents, proper washing and drying of menstrual absorbents and using a sanitary pad for not more than 12 hours, among others.

Students who were trained will conduct training for other fellow pupils in each of their target schools.

Click on the following link to view the report on 

‘Activity 1-1 Child-child MHM training in schools’.

*This project is supported by Lush Japan Co., Ltd.

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