Why menstruation education will bring change for young girls
This blog post was written by Nelly Chepkorir, Dig Deep's Project Officer in Kenya. Nelly studied Public Health at the University of Kabianga and is passionate about Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) and WASH work. Nelly conducts Dig Deep's MHM training in Kenya.
Menstrual hygiene management is an essential aspect of hygiene for women and adolescent girls.
Educating girls at their schools is a great achievement for themselves and their community as a whole since they will pass the message to their siblings and their parents as well. This information will eventually bring change and knowledge to the society and everyone is going to be enlightened.
Discussing to them about the beliefs, taboos and myths surrounding menstruation will help them to do away with them by understanding that such cultural practices no longer exist. They will be also in a position to understand that many of them were related to poor hygiene practices which when we compare now and those old days, there is a big difference.
Education concerning reproductive health, puberty and menstruation will actually enlighten them and school-drop out will decrease and also infections resulting from poor hygiene while menstruating will reduce. This will have a positive impact to the girls.
I will be very happy when our girls are in a position to talk freely about menstruation and they can ask for sanitary towels from either their parents or teachers unlike our time when we feared to ask and even not having knowledge on who to ask or talk about it.
Finally, it will be my happiness to educate young girls to be aware about menstruation before their first periods.
To support Dig Deep's Menstrual Hygiene Management Training Programme head over to our webpage to find out how you can get involved: www.digdeep.org.uk/period-pride