Empower girls with the Menstrual Hygiene Management Education Guide
Every girl deserves menstrual hygiene management (MHM) education that empowers her to fully participate in society and live a healthy, self-determined life. Thanks to the MHM Education Guide, providing this education has never been easier.
Empower girls with the Menstrual Hygiene Management Education Guide
Every girl deserves menstrual hygiene management (MHM) education that empowers her to fully participate in society and live a healthy, self-determined life. Thanks to the MHM Education Guide, providing this education has never been easier.
About the Guide
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Everything starts with education
For girls to manage their periods safely, hygienically and without shame they need a basic understanding of what menstruation is and how to handle it. Unfortunately, millions of girls lack access to even minimal information on menstruation.
WASH United's MHM Education Guide, developed together with girls and teachers, is a compact, easy-to-use and low-cost solution that provides every girl with the MHM support she needs.
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What excites me about our MHM Education Guide is that girls and trainers were at the centre of its development. The stories and characters of the Guide were inspired by their real life experiences and everything was tested with their involvement - that's why it's so impactful!
Ina Jurga, Head of Education Programmes at WASH United
Some of the organisations already using the MHM Education Guide:
What’s different about the MHM Education Guide?
By following the journey of Rosie/Ruby, a 10 year-old girl entering puberty, girls are educated, empowered and engaged on the topic of menstrual hygiene management. These three "E"s are the principles that guide the story. Girls are educated on menstruation, changes that occur during puberty and various types of menstrual products. They are empowered to make choices for themselves and challenge menstrual myths and taboos. Girls also grow in confidence and are motivated to engage in the topic and support one another. Here is an overview of the Guide’s key features.
Story and activities
The Guide connects with girls through the story of Rosie/Ruby and her friends, relatable characters inspired by real-life experiences, and combines this with activities and games to actively engage girls on MHM and change their perceptions and attitudes towards menstruation.
Free Guide and low implementation costs
The Guide itself is free. The printing costs and materials needed for implementation are less than USD 5 per school.
Only 2 sessions and no training required
The Guide can be implemented in two sessions of 60-90 minutes each. It is so simple to use that educators can simply read it aloud. No training, in-depth preparation or prior knowledge is required.
Adaptable to different regions and settings
The Guide can be adapted for different regions and is currently available in three versions: “Rosie’s World” for Sub-Saharan Africa, "Rosie's World" for the Middle East and “Ruby’s World” for South Asia. Additional versions for different regions and contexts are in development.
Low Implementation Costs
The Guide is designed for low-cost implementation to make it as accessible as possible. The printing costs and materials needed are less than USD 5 per school.
Results so far
Since 2018, the MHM Education Guide has been used by more than 20 organisations across Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, reaching over 1.6 million girls with MHM education. External evaluations of the impact of trainings using the Guide show:
70%
of girls showed improved knowledge of menstruation and MHM
24%
decrease in the number of girls who felt worried and upset about their period
27%
increase in the number of girls who don’t feel awkward talking to friends about menstruation
72%
of girls felt that they received more support from other girls after the training
What our partners say
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Collaborating with WASH United made complete sense - they already had a high-quality, tested MHM Education Guide. Together we adapted it for our Girl Guides and leaders. The Guide has strengthened our MHM work. It has been really well received by Guiding organisations across Africa and – more importantly – by the Girl Guides and Scouts themselves.
Lorna Tallowin, Global Project Manager, WAGGGS
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The girls are now more open to talking about periods. They don't hesitate to ask difficult questions and they also don't shy away from sharing their information. This has turned out to be one of the most important programmes for us.
Abhijeet Barse, Director, Slum Soccer
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Key features of the Guide
Success stories
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The MHM Education Guide in action
Learn more about how other organisations have used the MHM Education Guide to teach girls about menstruation and how they can manage it.
Slum Soccer
Slum Soccer implemented the Guide, along with co-designed football based MHM games, to reach 6,898 girls in 22 schools in Nagpur, India with menstrual hygiene management education. After the project, 76% of participating girls felt it was easier to talk with female peers about menstruation and 70% reported changing their pad or cloth more frequently since the MHM training. Slum Soccer has now integrated MHM education, using the Guide, into their regular programming.
Read The Full Story
World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS)
In 2019 and 2020, the MHM Education Guide was adapted together with the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) into 'Rosie's World" and rolled out across Africa and the Asia-Pacific region through WAGGGS' Youth Exchange South to South (YESS) programme. The YESS participants, 90 young women leaders, delivered MHM education through 'Rosie's World' to 44,081 Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. Following the training, these Girl Guides and Girl Scouts took action, running their own 'red pride' projects, reaching another 34,226 with life-saving MHM messages.
Read The Full Story
Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI)
Through ASCI, over 24,000 girls across 154 schools in Andhra Pradesh, India were educated using the Guide on puberty, menstruation and menstrual hygiene management. An external survey of a sample of girls educated using the Guide showed that 55% of the girls changed their menstrual hygiene practices and that there was a steep 23% decline in misconceptions on the topic. Building on this success, the Women and Child Welfare Department (WCD) of the Andrha Pradesh state government planned to scale up the programme to another 11,000 schools in the state.
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Get in contactCheck out the free preview version of the Guide!
The MHM Education Guide makes it easier than ever to conduct MHM trainings – even if you have no prior experience. Are you interested? Check out the free preview version if you'd like to learn more about the Guide, but are not yet ready to use it in an actual project!
Get started: learn about our offer and select your package
Our offer
Free use of the MHM Education Guide for any planned or already ongoing MHM projects
Various packages that provide more direct support, such as one-to-one capacity building support or customisation of the Guide to your specific project
More than 15 different versions of the Guide, adapted for specific regions and settings
Our ask
Report on the impact of your project (through a short survey) within 2 months of its completion
General feedback on the Guide to help us improve it for future use
The Guide not be altered, used for commercial purposes or shared with third-parties without prior written permission
Sub-Saharan Africa – Rosie’s World:
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Languages: English, French, Swahili
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Available with specific character design for Muslim audiences; in English, Hausa and Kanuri
South Asia – Ruby’s World:
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Languages: English, Bengali, Hindi, Malayalam, Marathi, Odiya, Tamil, Telugu and Nepali
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Available with specific character design for Muslim audiences; in English and Bengali
Middle East – Rosie’s World:
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Languages: Arabic
MHM in emergencies:
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Please contact us if you would like to use the Guide in this setting
Extensions to the Guide to further engage girls on the topic of MHM (always to be used together with the Guide):
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Sport and Menstruation
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Re-usable pad making (coming soon!)
Please contact us if you would like to use the extensions
Offers for large-scale government programmes
Do you want to use the Guide for a large-scale government programme? We offer free customisation options for programmes that reach more than 100,000 girls. Get in touch to learn more.
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Start using the Guide
MHM Master Trainers
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Introducing the MHM Master Trainers
Our Master Trainers are a group of people who know everything there is to know about the MHM Education Guide. Most of them have professional backgrounds in MHM and/or drinking water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). Their role is to train others to use the Guide in MHM education programmes, and to support organisations as they integrate the Guide into their work. The Trainers are currently based in South Asia and East Africa, but we will be establishing more in other regions soon.
Kinjal Sharma
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Organisation: Kaboom Social Impact Private Limited
Location: New Delhi – Faridabad, India
Languages: English and Hindi
Kinjal is a communications enthusiast with a degree in development communication from Jamia. She has issue-specific expertise on MHM and has played a major role in developing content using HCD tools for India and Sub-Saharan Africa. Kinjal is not afraid to get her hands dirty and travels extensively in India to build the capacity to spread MHM awareness and education.
Ackissah Baluti
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Organisation: WAGGGS
Location: Kampala, Uganda
Languages: English, Chichewa, Nyanja
Ackissah is a girl guide and menstruation activist who directly supports the delivery of the Red Pride MHM initiative with WAGGGS and the YESS Girls Movement. She is someone with an intrinsic passion for advocating and voicing issues on the topic of MHM both locally and internationally. Previously she participated in the 58th Commission on the Status of Women as a Malawian youth delegate. She holds an advanced certificate in business administration and is currently pursuing a bachelor's degree in the same subject.
Steve Juma
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Location: Kisumu, Kenya
Languages: English, Swahili
Steve is a skilled public health professional with significant experience in the development, implementation and evaluation of WASH and MHM programmes. He has worked in technical support in the WASH sector, and as a trainer in WASH and MHM programmes in the public and private sectors in East Africa. He has a bachelor's degree in public health.
Ines Binwa Dz'ko
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Location: Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Languages: French
Ines has been a doctor for five years and has worked in the field of sexual and reproductive health and rights including menstrual health, gender-based violence and reproductive health.
Bellen Moges
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Organisation: Splash International
Location: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Languages: English and Amharic
Bellen has approximately ten years' of experience in the field of public health. She has worked with Splash International in Ethiopia as a menstrual health programme coordinator since 2019, and as such she leads menstrual health programmes designed for school WASH programmes. She has a master's degree in public health.
Winnie Nyabenge
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Organisation: Moving the Goalposts
Location: Kilifi, Kenya
Languages: English and Swahili
Winnie is a public health and development professional with over six years’ experience in coordinating and implementing WASH, MHM and SRHR programmes in East Africa. She has experience in building the capacity of organisations and schools through training sessions and implementing MHM programmes. She has developed and implemented MHM programmes in humanitarian contexts such as the Kakuma refugee camp, and has trained 40 sports for development organisations from East Africa on MHM.
Resources, FAQs & Contact
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Ready to use the MHM Education Guide? Check out these additional resources to help you get started!
FAQs
What other language versions of the Guide will be available soon?
Versions of the Guide in the following languages are in the process of being finalised and will be available soon: Amharic and Oromo (Ehtiopia); Nepali (Nepal); and Kinyarwanda (Rwanda). Please contact us if you are interested in using one of these language version.
The MHM Education Guide is not available in my language. What should I do?
You can sign up for our Custom Package and we can work on a translated version of the Guide for you.
The MHM Education Guide is not culturally appropriate for my country. What should I do?
You can sign up for our Custom Package and we can customise and/or adjust the content and design as per your requirements.
Can we use the MHM Education Guide with boys?
The Guide was designed especially with and for girls. It has not been tested and used with boys, so we cannot recommend using it with boys at this time.
Can we use the MHM Education Guide with adults?
The Guide has been designed specifically for girls ages 9 to 17. We do not recommend using this guide with adults.
Can I add a pad making workshop to the MHM Education Guide sessions?
Yes! This can be a valuable extension to the training. We strongly recommend going through the Guide first, and then adding this extra activity.
What are the expectations of the implementers using the MHM Education Guide?
If you use the Guide, no matter which package you sign up for, you are required to:
- tell us about your MHM education project and its results in a short survey that we will send you at the end of your project;
- give us your valuable input and feedback on the Guide, so that we can improve and update the Guide in the future.
Please also review the Terms and Conditions document for more information (link here).
Does WASH United provide financial support for implementation?
To make the Guide affordable for any organisation and/or individual, it was specifically designed to minimise implementation costs. The printing and materials needed cost less than USD 5 per school. WASH United is not in a position to provide financial support for the implementation of the Guide.
Why is there a cost associated with the "indvidudal support package" and the "custom package"?
WASH United is a non-profit organisation. We do not make any profit from the MHM Education Guide. The "individual support package" and the "custom package" create expenses on our side that we need to cover.
How many people from my organisation can sign up for the public capacity building webinar?
While there is no limit to the total number of participants, we recommend not more than 5 people from an organisation join the webinar. The webinar is designed for MHM programme staff and trainers.
Does WASH United provide on the ground/in-person training?
WASH United has trained Master Trainers in India and East Africa that can provide in-person training of trainers on the Guide for your organisation. Please note that your organisation will need to cover the costs of such trainings. Please click on "Request quote" to get in touch, if you are interested in this type of training.
What is the difference between Ruby's World and Rosie's World?
Ruby's World was developed together with teachers and girls in India through a user-centered design approach. The language, cultural references and activities are tailored specifically to the needs of girls in South Asia. Rosie's World was adapted from Ruby's World for the Sub-Saharan African context. WASH United also applied a user-centered design approach for this adaptation and partnered with Girl Guides and Girl Scouts from WAGGGS to test and adjust the Guide. While the story is essentially the same in both versions, the language, cultural references and even some activities in Rosie's World have been adjusted to better suit the Sub-Saharan African context.
More questions? Contact Ina
If you have questions about the MHM Education Guide that are not answered here, contact us and we will be happy to help answer them.
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