The Menstrual Hygiene for Girls project will support 200 girls experiencing a lack of access to sanitary products in rural Siem Reap, Cambodia. The goal of this project is to provide safe, sustainable period kits to girls in order to alleviate period poverty and provide medically accurate information about hygiene and menstruation to rural communities.
About 50% of the Cambodian population are women, but people do not talk about period poverty as it is deemed a taboo subject. Poor period hygiene can lead to many health risks, such as urinary tract infections and reproductive infections. This is attributed by the fact that not many public schools teach health education or menstrual hygiene: culturally, Cambodians view periods as dirty, and mothers pass down information to daughters following cultural rather than medical norms.
The project aims to provide young girls in Cambodia with asustainable menstrual kit that is both safe and hygienic, enabling them to manage their periods with ease. Coupled with a 30-minute workshop on menstrual care and hygiene, the initiative will ensure that these girls never miss school due to menstruation. After the workshop, the project team will monitor the girls' use of the menstrual kit and solicit their feedback regularly. They will also provide additional mentoring and support.
The expected outcomes of the project are: 200 girls will receive basic menstrual kits with the full contents. 100% of participants increase their knowledge about basic menstrual hygiene. 100% of participants have access to the right resources in seeking knowledge about menstruation. At least 80% of beneficiaries can attend school during their period cycles. At least 90% of beneficiaries will continue to use their reusable menstrual kits as alternatives to disposable sanitary products.
