MHM Sensitization in schools

Menstruation is a normal biological process and a key sign of reproductive health, yet in many cultures it is treated as something negative, shameful or dirty. The continued silence around menstruation combined with limited access to information at home, in schools and communities results in millions of women and girls having very little knowledge about what is happening to their bodies when they menstruate and how to deal with it.

It is against this backdrop that Global Health Awareness Research Foundation (GHARF) organised and conducted sensitization activities across the girls secondary schools in Enugu Metropolis.

The activities were aimed at raising awareness on the importance of good menstrual hygiene practices among young girls, educating students on basic facts on menstrual hygiene management (MHM) and its importance to their growing up as well as breaking the culture of silence and taboos around menstruation and menstrual hygiene management. GHARF commenced MHM sensitization in public girls' secondary schools in Enugu Metropolis and plans to go round the entire girls' school in Enugu State. The activity which started in May 2018 have so far visited four schools namely:

• 1. City Girl's secondary School, Enugu
• 2. Metropolitan Girls' Secondary School, Enugu
• 3. Queens' School, Enugu
• 4. Urban Girls' Secondary School, Enugu
  

GHARF with the support of United Nations Children's Funds (UNICEF) Zone A field office implemented the Support for community engagement and monitoring of FGM/C intervention among youths in ten communities in Afikpo North LGA, Ebonyi State.

The programme which started in January 2018 was aimed at increasing the level of knowledge of participants on the health risks/implications of FGM/C and educating them on the need for public declaration of FGM/C abandonment.

To achieve the project objectives, the following activities were implemented:

• 1. Advocacy to relevant stakeholders Community leaders:

The objectives are as follows;

• a. To create awareness about the project
• b. To solicit for the support of community leaders in the implementation of FGM/C abandonment in the community.
• c. To ascertain the availability of resolution and action plan towards achieving the abandonment of FGM/C.
• d. To enlighten the community on the need for public declaration of FGM/C abandonment.
• e. To introduce GHARF and explain her role in the communities.

The results achieved included the following:

• a. Gaining the support and commitment of the gatekeepers in the community
• b. Increasing the level of knowledge among the community leaders.
• c. Outreaches in communities and schools for various target groups:



Outreaches were conducted in all the ten (10) communities in Afikpo North LGA. Different target groups namely Grandmothers/TBAs, Young women/Out-of-school females, Fathers/out-of-school males and In-school female and male youths (at the school premises) were sensitized individually on FGM/C and its health risks and need for public declaration of abandonment of FGM.

This was to facilitate in-depth discussions and interactions with each group using participatory methodologies. This ensured that community members were carried along.

• 2. Support for FGM/C abandonment:

After each outreach, the number of participants who are in support of FGM/abandonment or continuation were ascertained. They were asked to raise their hands to be counted. From the head counts that were carried out, majority of the participants across all the communities and schools indicated their support for FGM/C abandonment.

On the issue of their readiness for public declaration of the practice, the participants responded that they were willing and would be ready to make open declaration of FGM/C abandonment.

• 3. Monitoring:

Global Health Awareness Research Foundation carried out monitoring visits to the communities as part of its interventions in the FGM/C abandonment programme with the support of UNICEF as a follow up to the community entry meetings and the Outreaches conducted in the community.

This is to solicit for the support of the community leaders and sensitise the various groups respectively.

The monitoring visits were carried out to ensure that actions/steps are followed up to facilitate FGM/C abandonment.

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