NEWSLETTER OF MARCH 2015

LINK TO NEWSLETTER

With 28 May just three months away, we're unveiling the new slogan for 2015, giving you a sneak-peek at the MH Day POP-UP Exhibition Toolkit and sharing the latest MHM updates!

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If you wish to contribute with news, information or resources, just send us an email! This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

What does 2014 have in store for MHM ?


What's Flowing On?

Below you'll find the latest developments happening in MHM, including the launch of IRISE's Menstrual Hygiene Toolkit, the integration of MHM into India's WASH Ministry and new feature that shines a spotlight on an MH Day Partner!
Yippee!!

Read on for more menstravagant updates!
or access it directly here in the browser
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Look forward to May #MENSTRAVAGANZA, the annual 28-day social media campaign that aspires to break the silence around menstruation and raise awareness about MHM. The campaign ends with the recognition of the 1st-ever Menstrual Hygiene Day !

Every day, new organisations are pledging their support to make the 28th of May MH Day. They, like us, strongly believe that we need to live in a world where women and girls can manage their menstruation hygienically, in privacy, with safety and dignity.
We proudly welcome new partners Save the Children, Diva Cup and Freshwater Action Network, South Asia (FAN-SA) to the MH Day partner coalition !

Want to join us and also get involved in Menstrual Hygiene Day?
What are you waiting for - let's start talking! This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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Research & Publications

• WASH in Schools Empowers Girls’ Education - An Assessment of MHM in Schools: Bolivia , Sierra Leone , Philippines , Rwanda (TBA) by UNICEF, Emory University, 2013

• WE CAN'T WAIT: A Report on Sanitation and Hygiene for Women & Girls by WaterAid, WSSCC & Unilever, Nov. 19, 2013

• ' We Keep It Secret So No One Should Know’ – A Qualitative Study to Explore Young Schoolgirls Attitudes and Experiences with Menstruation in Rural Western Kenya by Mason et al., Nov. 14, 2013

• MHM: A Neglected Right of Pakistani Women! by the Integrated Regional Support Programme (IRSP) - Pakistan, Oct. 5, 2013

• Menstrual Hygiene Management: Training of Master Trainers by WSSCC, Sept. 24 - 27, 2013.

• Assessment of Beliefs and Practices Relating to Menstrual Hygiene of Adolescent Girls in Lebanon by T. Santina et al., 2013.

MHM in the News

• India modifies WASH guidelines to include MHM (official document ), Dec. 10, 2013

• MH Day partner I-CARE Pads / Afri-Can's Chantal Heutnik wins Red Hot Woman Award for her MHM work, Dec. 2013

• Urmila Chanam, a fellow on The Great WASH Yatra in India, wins the Laadli Media and Advertising Award for Gender Sensitivity for her 2012 article on menstrual hygiene

• Good read alert: Risking Rape to use a Toilet , by Rebecca Fishman, WASH Advocates (MH Day partner), Nov. 19, 2013.

Upcoming Events

• Right around the corner! Jan. 30, 19:00-21:30: IRISE Launches its Menstrual Hygiene Toolkit at the London Development Centre. Free event - RSVP here !

• March 19-21: Symposium on Gender Equity & Global Reproductive Health, San Diego, CA, USA. Abstracts are due by Feb. 1; notifications regarding acceptance / presentation will be on Feb. 14

• March 24-25: WASH 2014 Conference, Brisbane, AU with dedicated session to MHM + a workshop for practitioners led by Therese Mahon & Sue Cavill of WaterAid UK.

Online Happenings

May 1-28: WASH United leads 2nd May #MENSTRAVAGANZA
May 28: First-ever Menstrual Hygiene Day
#MHMMonday continues on Twitter & Facebook, every monday!

Updates on Past Events

MHM Virtual Conference - On Nov. 21, 2013 UNICEF & Columbia University hosted their 2nd virtual conference. 16 presenters shared the research tools they've been using to a.) explore the MHM challenges schoolgirls face and / or b.) monitor and evaluate MHM in WASH in Schools (WinS) interventions. These tools will be collected for a kit expected to be published later in 2014.

SACOSAN - The South Asian Conference on Sanitation was held from Oct. 22-24 in Nepal. The Kathmandu Declaration was signed by 8 Ministers/ Secretaries calling for (point 5) developing and implementing guidelines and standards suitable for child, adolescent, gender and disabled person-friendly WASH facilities with compliance indicators on hand-washing and menstrual hygiene education and practice. More here .

Featured Partner: Society of Menstrual Cycle Research

SMCR is a nonprofit, interdisciplinary research organisation comprising of researchers in the social / health sciences, humanities, health care providers, policy makers, health activists, artists and students with interests in the role of the menstrual cycle in women’s health and well-being. Holding biennial conferences, the theme of 2015's will be 'Reproductive Health and Human Rights'. Check SMCR on Facebook & Twitter!

SMCR board member & Prof. of Communication Arts at Marymount Manhattan College in NY, David Linton is a true male champion for MHM! (Look closely - he is wearing a silver tampon pin on his lapel!) A scholar on the social construction of menstruation, David has even written some menstrual poetry which he recited at the 1st-ever Menstrual Poetry Slam at 2013's SMCR conference. He is currently working on a project to collect male experiences around menstruation. Contact him for more info! This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Give the Gift of a Girls-Only Toilet

In many developing countries, it is rare to have separate bathrooms for boys and girls in schools. And because of this, it is not uncommon for girls to drop out at the onset of puberty. Your gift of $100 will help build a girls-only bathroom so that they can stay in school and work toward brighter futures. Check out how Plan USA is inspiring people to give differently.

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Meet the Faces Behind MH Day



Passionate and dedicated to raising the profile of menstrual hygiene within the WASH sector and beyond, Ina and Danielle are your go-to ladies for any questions around MHDay.

Fun facts:

Ina is addicted to chocolate & dance festivals
Danielle can eat 40 oysters at a time - no cocktail sauce.

Want to know more?

Want to get involved?
Do you have some ideas for MH Day?

Contact us!
Ina Jurga, Head of WASH in Schools This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Danielle Keiser, Communications & Social Media This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.