10 Days menstrual hygiene awareness season

There have been an increase in sexually transmitted diseases and many other illnesses among women and young girls in this 21st century than ever before. And from research it has been observed that most of these diseases do not necessary come from sexual contact but it also arises from poor hygienic practices among this group of persons especially during menstruation. For millions of women and female adolescents out there, menstruation is a monthly reality.  Statistics show that about 1 out of 3 girls especially in low income communities know nothing about menstruation before it occurs and eventually cannot handle the hygiene required when it finally starts occurring.  Menstrual hygiene is an aspect of sexual and reproductive health that cannot be overemphasized because it is one of the cause of infections related to the reproductive system.

There are some health issues that eventually arise due to poor hygiene practices during menstruation. One of which is high susceptibility to infections due to inadequate washing facilities ( e.g poor access to clean water). The risk of infection (including sexually transmitted infections) is higher than normal during menstruation because it is assumed that the blood flowing out creates a pathway for bacteria to enter inside the woman’s system. Some these infections tend to be the cause of the pains experiences during menstruation. 

For this reason, Value Health Africa decided to lunch 10 days of menstrual hygiene awareness prior to World Menstrual Hygiene Day(28th of May ). It’s a time of raising awareness on and sensitizing the public on the importance of menstrual hygiene.  The Team lead by Nelsa Nabila will be carrying a series of activities from raising awareness on different social media platforms and churches, home visits, to distribution of Menstrual hygiene management tools.