The video for our proposed Menstrual Hygiene Management Campaign was published on our YouTube channel ten days ago. Click here to watch it, it is under ten minutes. So far, it has been well received judging from the with reactions and feedback from listeners and viewers.

“It is a brilliant discussion. Thank you for championing that cause.”

Uganda-based female lawyer working with local government

“Thank you for this initiative.”

Uganda-based male Uganda journalist based in Eastern Uganda

“Very important subject. Very difficult to find recommendations for public actors to do something. As we know burning waste is not a solution, its just a crisis intervention. Slowly, the product choices should change due to availability of cheaper options that are environmentally friendly.”

Kenya-based male NGO executive

I have listened and my immediate reaction is a few questions:

Why is menstruation a taboo subject to talk about and why bring it to the forefront of public discussion?

What is Hepatitis B? What does it look like? Why should I care about it? Why is it in the pads? Is it all that is there?

Who is the primary target for this intervention (the Council, the User, the aspiring user, the supporter of the user)? What is the appropriate message for each?

How are they being called to action? How does anyone participate in the simplest way?

Is there a way to develop a ‘fools guide’ to this information?

From my perspective, there is need for these video talks to be sustained. Each aimed to an individual aspect and perspective of the campaign.

This is a great challenge. I think it is one we should be excited about to think deeply on. Never thought of menstruation and pads. Quite interesting. What men hate to hear is “ndi mu nsonga” (Luganda colloquial for am menstruating)

Uganda-based male playwright, actor, director and lecturer

You share some great qualitative and quantitative pieces of information that run throughout. I especially appreciated the detail you gave, on the environmental and health concerns of sanitary waste. You also ended with your plans for the future, which shows that you are proactive in your efforts.

Some things you may want to take a second look at are, that you have not included any case studies. Could you possibly present a case study to show the first-hand impact of lacking access to clean toilets might have on your female service users?

Another thing to note is that you mentioned that you would like to switch from using landfill to incinerating single-use sanitary products. This will actually emit a huge amount of toxins and pollutants, which will impact air quality and wildlife, further contributing to climate change. Have you thought about this impact?

Would it be more effective if you took a look at re-useable sanitary products such as re-useable pads, or menstrual cups?

You could even follow this by explaining to your audience, what the long-term impact of switching to this more environmentally-friendly way of managing menstruation is. Re-usable products are not only more beneficial to the environment but they are a lot cheaper, and re-usable sanitary products can even be made at home.

United-Kingdom-based female digital expert

” I have watched it. It is really well presented! You are really on top of your frame of things. This is a very good project.”

Uganda-based male academic

Good food for thought on how to further shape the proposed intervention to do good. Indeed, the feedback has already inspired blog posts on menstrual hygiene that we have published here on our website and are generating further useful debate and proposals of solutions for menstrual hygiene management that are sensitive to good public health, environmental protection and gender issues. Thank you for engaging.

Follow the progress of our Menstrual Hygiene Campaign through our page on GlobalGiving and please consider making a financial donation as well.

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