Educational Program

Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) deficiency in rural Nepal due to lack of knowledge and local/religious traditions, girls/women are exposed during their menstruation to non-hygienic and unhealthy conditions (not allowed to stay at home, no access to proper toilet, water nor hygienic pads/products) and subject to social exclusion (not allowed to attend social events and missing school).MHM affects women/girls health, dignity and confidence, sustains gender inequality and challenges women rights

Menstruating schoolgirls have no access to affordable menstrual products. They struggle with shame, using unhygienic solutions that pose health risks and it prevents them from participating in school reducing their equity and life opportunities. Most girls start menarche without prior menstrual education; it’s a stigmatized topic surrounded by social taboos. Menstrual cups (MC) are a cost-effective solution but community taboos must be overcome and MC training and safe practice strengthened.

Palabek Refugee Settlement is home to 30,000 South Sudanese refugees, mostly women and children. While there are maternal health services, the limited income generation opportunities make it difficult to afford transportation to far-flung clinics. Currently, these women are fully reliant on handouts (eg. relief food) and lack the ability to earn an income, which could be used for transportation to a clinic, improving the home environment for children or improving the family diet.

Maternal and infant mortality is significantly higher in Iraq than in other countries in the region (1). The ongoing conflict has resulted in widespread displacement and a weakened health system, increasing the three delays in seeking, reaching and receiving maternal health care. WAHA has implemented 24h, 7/7 delivery units in and around Mosul, where healthcare services are limited, including emergency obstetric care.

Postpartum depression (PPD) is the leading cause of maternal morbidity and mortality and is a critical public health threat. In India, the estimated instances per year of postpartum depression is circa 26 million, out of which 90% of them never receive any professional treatment. Reportedly, 20,000 mothers commit suicide every year because of PPD, making them the largest demography in India to commit suicide.

Discussing sexuality is still considered a taboo in Indian Society. Sex education to school children and adolescents is a challenge for teachers and is seldom taught in a way to create medically appropriate, affirmative outlook towards sexuality. The problem is much more compounded by myths associated with sex information resulting in poor sexual behavior, teenage pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections & sexual crimes. The problem is much higher in Rajasthan leading to sex discrimination.

Menstruation and sexual health are taboo topics in Indonesia. A culture of silence contributes to a lack of knowledge on menstruation and SRHR. In rural areas, access to products to manage menstruation hygienically are limited and are not cost-effective long-term. Females are often not aware of their SRHR needs or are too embarrassed to discuss their problems, negatively influencing health seeking behaviour. This is reflected in low uptake of SRHR services and poor SRHR indicators (1,2).

In Tanzania, almost one in four (23%) girls between the ages of 15 and 19 has either given birth or is pregnant. The unmet need for family planning is particularly high among teenagers. As a result, many teenage pregnancies are unplanned and unintended. Teenagers and young women often do not seek contraception through community clinics (where it is free of charge) due to fear of stigma (presumed promiscuity), lack of confidentiality, lack of knowledge of contraception, and, lack of empowerment.

Sexual and reproductive health (SRH) is a national issue in Ghana. Maternal mortality rates, unplanned and teenage pregnancies, unsafe abortions, and HIV infections are still high. Progress in national coverage in SRH has been made aimed at influencing people’s sexual behavior; provision of reliable information on SRH issues to every citizen. Nevertheless, lack of SRH services in accessible formats, and other barriers have resulted in lack of priority on the SRH needs of Deaf people.

In Cambodia, approximately 25% of women living with HIV (WLHIV) wish to delay or avoid pregnancy, but are not consistently using modern contraception. A policy to address this gap by making family planning services available at ART clinics is not widely implemented because clinicians are reluctant to provide services that they perceive as only incidental to their HIV responsibilities. As a result, WLHIV do not have convenient access to contraception and could be at risk of unplanned pregnancy.