I have recently received the attached booklet by Annie Shangwa for girls in Zimbabwe about menstrual hygiene management. Perhaps a nice way to start the discussion on this forum: what do you think about this book? What other, similar books are there? How much impact do they have?

I have uploaded it to here:
www.susana.org/lang-en/library?view=ccbk...p;type=2&id=1220

Thumbs up to Annie for a wonderful book and great that its going to be translated into Shona and Ndebele too!
From personal experience, I think such books are very helpful because a lot of girls especially from developing countries find it hard to discuss menstruation with their families and this book is a great guide to assist them in dealing with menstrual hygiene management effectively and to boost their self esteem too which is very important! For example I can’t remember our teachers talking to us about menstruation until we were 15 years old! However I remember receiving a similar book when I was in Standard 8 (13 years old).

I think such books combined with sustainable solutions to manage menstruation such as ruby cups offer all rounded assistance to girls and ensure attendance, boost confidence and full participation in schools.

It would be great to know from Annie how the book has been recieved so far in her home country!

There is also another book in the SuSaNa library in Kiswahili- Vipindi vya Maisha which can be found under the following link
www.susana.org/lang-en/library?view=ccbk...p;type=2&id=1150

Thank you for sharing my book. This book has now been finalized and printed with the support of the Southern African Node (WRC) and I will be distributing it to a few schools as the new term begins early September. Plans are that we will approach the Ministry of Education and other Non Governmental Organizations for support to have the book printed in large numbers so that we can be able to distribute it in all the schools throughout Zimbabwe.

Just a brief explanation on why i felt it was very important for me to write this book:
As i was once a girl in school i have an understanding of the suffering of school girls and how limited is their knowledge of the processes associated with menstruation and how to manage it. I started asking myself what would have made the difference, what would have helped me overcome all the embarrassment, fear and uncertainty of what was going on with me, the physical changes, the pain and discomfort that made me absent myself from school. Back then i thought my teachers were not compassionate enough for me to share my predicament with them. I thought to myself that if only there was a way of me becoming knowledgeable of all this without actually talking to someone, that's when i thought of the booklet. The booklet could have been the perfect manual for me then and i know it will be to those girls in school now because it is a valuable informant that reads a girls mind and answers her silent yet burning questions.

Dear Annie,

Thanks for your posting! Can you please send us the new pdf file of your book so that we can upload it to the SuSanA library? How many MB is it?

Regards,
Elisabeth

P.S. Annie is indeed doing aweseome work (hence her login name is totally fitting). For those who don't know her: her full name is Annie Kanyemba and she is from Zimbabwe where she works in Harare.

Thank you Elisabeth...

The new PDF file is about 4.20MB, will try and send it.

Dear Annie,

Thank you for sending us the final version of your book!

Please find the book in our SuSanA library here:
www.susana.org/lang-en/library?view=ccbk...p;type=2&id=1220

I would highly recommend this book to be distributed to young girls in developing countries. The more it is translated, the better!

Thanks and best regards

Doreen

If you are fortunate to have good internet access then you will enjoy this 4-minute video clip of Annie Kanyemba giving a presentation on menstrual management and the work she has done in Zimbabwe together with Miss Zimbabwe, who is a friend of hers.

See here:
www.youtube.com/user/susanavideos#p/u/4/atbEFt5ycIE

Getting a female celebrity to speak to school girls about menstrual management issues is a great move.
Keep up the good work, Annie!
By the way, can you send us the Shona version of your book as well? Then we can offer that for download as well.

Regards,
Elisabeth

These videos are great! and its really a top-notch idea to bring in a celebrity to speak to the girls. Im sure this truly assisted them to feel more at ease and relaxed. Annie please do explain to us the response, how the girls felt and how they reacted. The new school term has began! We are ofcourse all excited to recieve feedback on schools you have been able to reach and the progress and developments so far. All the best

Hi Annie,

Congratulations on the great menstrual hygiene book! I am sure these books will be of great value to the girls who read them and will be passed on to their friends. I was intrigued by the sanitary pad holder you describe on Page 15. It would be great to know how this idea is accepted.
I work with a non-profit health organization, PATH, and we have been developing something similar. We know that disposable pads can be expensive and that reusable cloth pads, though much less expensive over time, present challenges with proper drying and also with leaking. There is also a growing concern about the effect disposable pads may have on sanitation systems and on the environment.
Our concept is a sort of hybrid - a reusable cloth pad holder with two layers, both which are easy to clean and dry. The bottom material will be a coated or plasticized material that will prevent leaks. The top material is a mesh that allows menstrual blood to pass through. The holder can be filled with any absorbent material available - disposable or reusable. We are currently getting feedback on this hybrid pad concept from girls and women in Cambodia.
What do you think of this idea?
Best wishes,
Nancy

Dear Doreen

Not many schools have been reached with the book so far since the final print arrived in Zimbabwe from SA about two weeks ago but i am so happy with the reactions of those around me, every mother wants a copy for their daughters, i have had friends and friends of friends who came from the UK to visit their families and they all want a copy each to take back to their daughters and nieces.
On another positive note, i am happy to have recently learned from our local papers that the Ministry of Education in Zimbabwe is changing the primary and secondary school curriculum to include HIV, AIDS and the reproductive system. So i am hoping to successfully lobby for the inclusion of my work (book) into the curriculum.

Take Care
Annie

Dear Nancy

I think its a great idea and its good that you are practically trying it out, On our side the pad holder issue is accepted in some cases where the people have enough cloths to fill the holder but in some cases people were asking why we did not just come up with a reusable pad instead of a holder, their reason being that some people do not even have access to the cloth or old rags to fill the holder.
So now we have shifted our area of research on pad holder and now looking into making a reusable pad, something which is easy to clean and dry but also holds the blood without soiling the clothes.

Best Regards
Annie

Dear all,

I am glad to share with you the link for more books on puberty and MHM. Three versions are available and they are context specific for girls in Ghana, Cambodia and Tanzania. The books are illustrated and written in both local languages and English.

Growth and Changes (Ghana)

Growth and Changes (Cambodia)

Growth and Changes (Tanzania)

Hope they can help many girls out there!

Best,
Cecília.