"The topic of menstrual health was often only partially addressed by the various stakeholders. We needed a focus group to collect documentation and experiences from everyone."
When did the collaboration between
, the UNFPA Côte d'Ivoire office, and Equipop begin?
For several years, the UNFPA office for West and Central Africa and certain country offices have been working with Equipop to highlight adolescent girls in SRHR (sexual and reproductive health and rights) programs and promote CSE (comprehensive sexuality education). In 2016, the Côte d'Ivoire office was involved in identifying six Ivorian associations that joined the Rights & Health Alliance that you initiated. The formal partnership with UNFPA Côte d'Ivoire and its partners, including the Ministries of Education and Health, as well as other UN agencies involved in the Muskoka initiative, really began in 2018 with the Equipop Lab support mechanism.
How was the topic of menstrual health prioritized?
Menstrual health emerged as an emerging and relevant topic during preliminary consultations for the incubation lab conducted with government partners (education, health, family, youth), UN agencies, and associations. The December 2018 incubation lab provided an opportunity to work collaboratively on high-impact activities to invest in menstrual health and make it a gateway to SRHR (sexual and reproductive health and rights) for adolescents and young people in Côte d'Ivoire.
Why did UNFPA spearhead the creation of the Ivorian National Task Force on Menstrual Health and Hygiene?
The topic of menstrual health was often only partially addressed by the various stakeholders. We needed a think tank to collect documentation and experiences from different parties, to provide a clear analysis of the situation and to facilitate discussion and coordination on a topic that concerns several sectors.
In terms of its composition, we aligned ourselves with the technical working group of the "Zero Pregnancies in School" campaign. The main members of the task force are technical departments from the Ministries of Education and Health, UN partner agencies, and civil society, including associations and youth movements.
It has set itself the following framework for action:
• to conduct a thorough situational analysis based on current experiences and existing documentation;
• to work on the development of materials and tools;
• to propose a methodology for integration and dissemination at different levels (school curriculum, activities within school clubs, awareness-raising in health facilities, mass campaigns, etc.) and to monitor and evaluate it.
What was Equipop's contribution to the menstrual health and hygiene task force in 2019?
Equipop's support, particularly during the November 2019 workshop to validate the national document on menstrual health and hygiene, enabled us to enrich these guidelines. These six days of work enabled the thirty or so participants (task force members and partners) to better understand the rights-based approach and gender perspectives and to incorporate them into our document.
Specifically, participants were able to:
• become aware of the importance of the gender approach and the rights-based approach in the development of public documents;
• develop non-sexist, inclusive, and human rights-respecting writing habits;
• Apply these principles to documents relating to menstrual health by identifying changes to be made with regard to rights and gender and to deconstruct false beliefs about menstruation.
Thanks to this work, we have been able to develop and adopt a comprehensive national guide, which is a multisectoral resource for different actors, in order to disseminate accurate, reliable, and high-quality information on menstrual health. The content can be adapted to different target audiences: girls, boys, healthcare professionals, etc.
What are the next steps?
In the short term, as part of the project and based on the guide, we will continue and finalize thematic operational materials such as the manufacture of sanitary pads. We will develop fact sheets for health workers, influencers, and community actors and distribute them to stakeholders for awareness-raising activities.
