Empowering Girls, Ending Shame

Menstrual Hygiene Project Report
_Period Under Review: October 2024 - January 2025
_Buhknom Development Foundation_

Introduction:
Following the successful implementation of our Empowering Girls, Ending the Shame: Menstrual Hygiene for All workshop in October 2024, we embarked on a series of activities to sustain and expand our menstrual hygiene project. This report highlights our progress, challenges, and future plans.

Progress Update

1. *Conducting Follow-up Workshops*: We conducted follow-up workshops in the two schools that benefited from our initial workshop. The workshops aimed to reinforce menstrual health knowledge, provide additional sanitary pads, and monitor progress.
2. *Establishing Menstrual Health Clubs*: We established menstrual health clubs in the two schools, comprising students, teachers, and community members. The clubs aim to promote menstrual health awareness, provide support, and advocate for inclusive menstrual health policies.
3. *Advocating for Inclusive Menstrual Health Policies*: We engaged with local authorities, education officials, and community leaders to advocate for the integration of menstrual health education into school curricula and policies.

Current Activities

1. *Planning for Expansion*: We are planning to expand our project to additional schools in Kogi State and other states in Nigeria.
2. *Procurement of Sanitary Pads*: We are procuring additional sanitary pads and menstrual hygiene materials for distribution to schools and communities.
3. *Community Engagement*: We are engaging with community members, traditional leaders, and religious leaders to promote menstrual health awareness and support.

Challenges

1. *Limited Funding*: Our project faces funding constraints, which hinders our ability to expand our reach and sustain our activities.
2. *Cultural and Social Barriers*: We encounter cultural and social barriers that hinder our efforts to promote menstrual health awareness and support.

Future Plans

1. *Scaling Up*: We plan to scale up our project to reach more schools, communities, and states in Nigeria.
2. *Partnerships*: We plan to establish partnerships with government agencies, private sector organizations, and civil society groups to support our project.
3. *Research and Evaluation*: We plan to conduct research and evaluation to assess the impact and effectiveness of our project.

Conclusion

Our menstrual hygiene project has made significant progress since our last report. We have conducted follow-up workshops, established menstrual health clubs, and advocated for inclusive menstrual health policies. However, we face challenges, including limited funding and cultural and social barriers. We look forward to scaling up our project, establishing partnerships, and conducting research and evaluation to support our efforts.

Recommendations

1. *Funding Support*: We recommend that donors and supporters provide funding to support our project.
2. Partnerships: We recommend that government agencies, private sector organizations, and civil society groups establish partnerships with us to support our project.
3. *Policy Support*: We recommend that policymakers integrate menstrual health education into school curricula and policies.

Thank you for your continued support.

Best regards,

Akila John Jatau
Buhknom Development Foundation