Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) training and support for women at reproductive age in Gedo region.

We believed that… Menstrual cycle plays an important role in women’s life and its normal and healthy part of life. Training women on proper menstrual hygiene management and sanitary kit support will contribute to improve female’s low capacity to have access to hygienic sanitary materials/cloth and options to manage their menstrual period in an effective, comfortable, and hygienic manner.<br>

We observed that… Menstruation is not considered to be a healthy process but rather it is surrounded by shame, impure, unclean, and unfit because of lack of access to hygiene promotion and health education as well as inadequate sanitary kits to manage menstrual discharge with dignity and safety and faces discomfort during the cycle.

From that we learned that… the training had a positive impact and boosting the participant’s confidence on how to manage their menstruation with sufficient information. We also learnt it improves the participant’s hygiene, and access to health education and sanitary kits but the training period and the sanitary kits provided are not sufficient.

Therefore, we will… recommend training of women on MHM and sanitary supports to be continued and increase training period and costs to allow the community fully acquire sufficient knowledge about menstrual hygiene management. We also recommend the some of the items distributed including sanitary pads and underwear to be increased in number since many of participants cannot afford menstrual hygiene management items in the camps.