International Menstrual Hygiene Day: Changing perceptions and overcoming stigma in North Central Burkina
By: Jean NADEMBEGA, Nougoutara Karim, CONGO Sibri Joseph, VEBAMBA Thierry, MANDO Mohamed Malgalawende
In Burkina Faso, hygienic management of menstruation is a major challenge for young girls, especially in rural settings where it remains a taboo. And, as in many other parts of the world, “period poverty” is widespread, meaning girls and women lack knowledge of menstruation and cannot afford or access necessary sanitary materials.
The ViMPlus Resilience Food Security Activity (funded by USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance), is working to address this challenge through a number of interventions, including youth clubs, production of sanitary pads, and community trainings. Join us as we explore these activities below!
Youth Clubs
Teenage girls and youth are at the center of our activities in ViMPlus. To boost their involvement, we have used USAID’s Positive Youth Development (PYD) approach and set up clubs in the villages. These youth clubs are safe places where groups of fifteen teenage girls (15–19 years old) or young men (20–29 years old) gather in their own groups under the guidance of a mentor (identified by themselves) to help them share and learn about a variety of topics. The mentors are trained to facilitate thematic workshops on life skills (leadership, self-confidence, communication, negotiation, etc.), healthy nutrition and hygiene, financial education, and entrepreneurship.
In 2020, we set up 40 clubs: 20 for young men and 20 for teenage girls. The clubs were a great opportunity to provide training on menstrual hygiene management (what is menstruation, how to manage it well, what are the challenges related to menstrual hygiene management for girls, how to support teenage girls during their period, etc.). Throughout the year, we trained 300 teenage girls and 300 young men, with the girls also learning how to make and use washable sanitary pads. By raising awareness among the men and sensitizing them on menstruation and menstrual health, we are aiming to help change their perceptions, reduce taboos around menstruation, and improve the support of men in the community.
Production of sanitary pads
Acquiring sanitary pads on a regular basis is not easy for teenage girls in a rural setting, both because the pads are not affordable and they’re not always available in the local stores. To overcome this problem, ViMPlus started training teenage girls in making their own sanitary pads using locally available materials (local fabric, cotton, thread, etc.). Mastering this production technique allows these teens access to reusable sanitary pads at any time, while staying within their budget. Each of the 20 teenage girls’ clubs received a basic production kit comprised of scissors, rolls of thread, local fabric, etc. During a training course, each of the 300 girls made her own sanitary pad as part of a demonstration. The kits (scissors, thread, etc.) remain with the group and are available to the girls if they are interested in making more pads, but they may have to provide their own fabric. Girls in some of the villages used the kits to produce more pads. In the town of Yalgo, girls produced 91 additional sanitary pads.
Appreciation from the communities
The training sessions on making sanitary pads were well received in the villages by youth and parents alike.
Young people in several surrounding villages expressed interest in setting up similar clubs in their own villages, so that they can also benefit from the various training sessions, especially on making sanitary pads.
In the villages that have benefited from these trainings, the young people who are not members of the clubs have insisted on taking part in the trainings despite the limited number of participants allowed.
For example, in the village of Mamanguel, located in the township of Yalgo, a training session that was initially planned for 15 teenage girls (all club members) had more than twenty other young people attend and request participation in the training.
Encouragement by public officials
Local community public officials attended the training on hygienic management of menstruation and witnessed teenage girls making their own sanitary pads. In Yalgo Township, Mrs. Zissaga Siogo, Deputy Mayor, personally participated in the training of mentors and in sessions with young people from the village. She felt that the training was “immensely comforting” and added that:
“its [youth clubs’] effect on young girls much impressed me. … I was able to participate in the wrap-up meeting in Taparko and Mamanguel in order to offer my congratulations and encouragement to those who benefitted, and to urge them to put into practice what they learned.”
The participation of the local authorities will help raise awareness of the challenges faced by young girls related to hygienic management of menstruation.
Next Steps
As part of ViMPlus, we plan to extend training activities to youth in all the villages within our programming region. We are hoping to reach about 900 young girls in 2021.
ViMPlus is exploring to provide subsidies to girls who are hoping to make production of sanitary pads an income-generating activity.
Hygienic management of menstruation ensures that young girls stay in good health and preserve their dignity during their period.
This May 28, during the International Menstrual Hygiene Day, and every day, ViMPlus and the youth of Burkina Faso are joining the worldwide movement to break the silence about menstruation and create a world without period poverty and stigma.
Written by:
- Jean NADEMBEGA, Program Manager, ViMPlus
- Nougoutara Karim, Your Coordinator, ViMPlus
- CONGO Sibri Joseph, WASH Coordinator, ViMPlus
- VEBAMBA Thierry, Interpersonal Communication Specialist, ViMPlus
- MANDO Mohamed Malgalawende, Health-Nutrition-WASH and Youth Promoter, ViMPlus
