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Women's Empowerment Via Menstrual Hygiene and Livelihood Integration

The project’s hypothesis states that training Village Health Team (VHT) members as menstrual
health and hygiene educators, micro- entrepreneurs and to sell an innovative menstrual cup
will improve their household income and improve menstrual equity and gender equality. A
major finding was that the training as trainers program proved to engage the whole community
to better understand the hardships girls and women in their community and families
experienced managing their menstrual health and accessing affordable menstrual products in
a climate of taboos, shame, misunderstanding and lack of social, economic, and emotional
support. Additionally, relying on a market-based approach to promote and sell an innovative
menstrual cup, participants, the majority of which were women, not only added to their
household income, but by extension, ideas for other business ventures were borne out in this
test project.
The project’s testing framework delivered targeted training, social messaging through local
radio programming and advertisements. In addition, a toll-free support telephone line was
established and answered by a woman who spoke the local language, Ma’di. Having men also
participate in the training program assisted in challenging entrenched stigmas, taboos, myths,
perceptions, and attitudes towards menstruation as solely a woman’s issue. The conversation
broadened to be inclusive of whole families and the community.
At the end of the test project, the data indicate that despite the interruptions related to COVID19 lockdowns, the ensuing economic fallout, and the required alterations to the project’s
workplan, the overall impact on livelihoods was positive. The financial literacy, savings and
loans, and entrepreneurial training positively impacted the expansion of new ventures for both
women and men. By their own account, male community leaders, husbands, and brothers
expressed shifts in their understanding and perceptions of menstruation. Seeing it no longer
as a private subject, men not only purchased Bfree Cups for their wives and daughters, but,
as an example, the local Imam, the community religious leader, bought one for his own wife
and another for the wife of a friend. Furthermore, men expressed changes in their attitudes
towards their wives’ economic independence. Purchasing decisions that were traditionally the
role and responsibility of the husband, saw a shift with men stating they were relieved of the
burden of having to make all household purchasing decisions. Women had their own money
to spend on household needs.