Menstrual Health and Environmental Hygiene

Dear valued supporters,

Thank you for your continued support and belief in our mission. We are happy to share our progress on the Menstrual Health and Environmental Hygiene project.

While our project awaits full funding, we are far from idle. This quarter, we have strengthened our preparation, relationship-building, and community engagement to ensure our project’s success. We remain deeply committed to transforming menstrual health education and environmental hygiene in the communities we serve.

Despite funding challenges, our volunteers have been on the ground making a difference:

• We continue to mentor young girls on safe and healthy menstrual practices, helping them understand their bodies and manage their periods with confidence despite limited resources.
• Conducting site assessments, meeting with community leaders and school heads, and identifying participants who will benefit from our menstrual health kits and education programmes once funding is secured.

Voices from the Community

During our recent outreach, we met Grace, a 15-year-old student from the Oshie community who shared her struggles with managing menstruation; ‘Sometimes I stay home from school for three days each month because I don’t have pads,’ she told us. I stay out of classes, and I feel ashamed.

Grace’s story is not unique. In the communities we serve, many girls face this same barrier monthly. They miss school, experience stigma, and resort to unhygienic materials that put their health at risk. You can hear the challenges girls like Grace face directly from Akaragwe, a school head, in this testimonial video we have recorded:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xfnOlOdTgh8v28GQvdxyhTjrQsgEEdz2/view?usp=sharing

These conversations remind us why this work matters. No girl should miss school because of her period.

Menstrual health is more than a health issue. It is about dignity, equality, and opportunity. When girls lack access to menstrual products and education, they:

• Miss an average of 3-5 days of school per month, staying behind academically
• Face increased health risks from using unhygienic materials
• Experience shame and social isolation during menstruation

Without intervention, this cycle continues, limiting the potential of an entire generation of young women.

How Your Support Create Change

Every dollar goes directly toward:

• Purchasing environmentally friendly, washable pads that girls can use for up to three years, eliminating monthly costs and reducing waste.
• Organising education workshops and training girls on menstrual health, hygiene practices, and SRHR.
• Support environmental hygiene education and basic sanitation infrastructure improvement in rural schools.

We invite you to stay connected as we continue this important work. You can stay updated on our progress and share our mission by visiting our project page: https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/menstrual-health-and-environmental-hygiene/ 

Your belief in our mission sustains us during this challenging time. Together, we are building a future where every girl can manage her menstrual health with dignity, attend school consistently, and reach her full potential.

With gratitude,

Afor Rene Aza’ah

Executive Director

We are thrilled to share the progress of the Menstrual Health and Environmental Hygiene project. This initiative aims to promote equity and hygiene and to empower 5,000 girls in 10 rural schools across the North West Region of Cameroon.

Thanks to your support, the Menstrual Health and Environmental Hygiene project has already made significant impacts in the lives of over 3,000 vulnerable girls aged 12–22 years across six rural schools, improving access to menstrual health knowledge, hygiene products, and contributing to environmental sustainability.

Achievements During the Reporting Period

• 150 IDP girls and boys were trained on menstrual health and environmental hygiene at GHS Tudig, Mbengwi subdivision, increasing awareness, promoting inclusivity, and creating a favorable school environment where all students can thrive.
• 50 IDP girls received reusable sanitary pads, enabling them to safely and confidently manage their menstruation with dignity.
• The school restroom was equipped with disposable pads and other sanitary items, improving immediate access to menstrual hygiene support.

Lessons Learned

While the project significantly improved the menstrual health of vulnerable girls, it also revealed other urgent issues:

• Knowledge gaps: Pre-training survey revealed that 90% of girls, particularly IDPs in rural communities, still lack knowledge and access to tools to manage their periods with dignity. This highlights the need to scale interventions in rural and hard-to-reach areas.
• Limited WASH infrastructure continues to hamper safe menstrual hygiene management in schools.
• High rates of school dropout among girls persist, driven by poverty, early pregnancy, and displacement.
• Gender-based violence (GBV) remains a serious threat to girls’ safety and well-being. Urgent, targeted action is required, especially in rural and conflict-affected communities where women and girls bear the heaviest burden.
• Limited resources restrict the reach of interventions to more schools, communities, and girls.
• Insufficient financial allocation to WASH programs and projects in Cameroon further hinders sustainable progress.

This project is a significant step toward amplifying the voices of girls and ensuring their rights are respected. It empowers young girls to make informed decisions about their bodies while reducing anxiety and confusion around menstruation.

We invite you to continue supporting our efforts to create a more equitable future for all people who menstruate. With your continued support, we can reach more girls and ensure access to comprehensive, age-appropriate, and medically accurate menstrual health education and products.

Visit https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/menstrual-health-and-environmental-hygiene/ to donate. Every contribution counts—no amount is too small.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all our donors, partners, and supporters.

Together, we are making a lasting impact on the lives of young girls.

Thank you for your continued support

Afor Rene Aza'ah

Executive Director - LISUDEV

Links:

• http://www.lisudevcm.org
• LinkedIn