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Promote reusable menstrual cups with schoolgirls and women in Ghana
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Note: A more user friendly version of this information can be found by downloading the Project Summary PDF in the Documents Tab
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The Problem
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In many areas around the world, menstruation is heavily stigmatized due to a lack of education and cultural beliefs, which can limit women's access to hygiene and interaction with their community. Women often have limited options for feminine hygiene products and may have to use "traditional" methods such as cloths, papers or leaves, which can be uncomfortable and allow leakage onto clothes. Where options such as pads do exist, they are often cost prohibitive as families prioritize spending on food and other essentials.
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In Africa, it's estimated that:
- 1 in 10 young women do not attend school during menstruation,
- 80% of the population lives on less than $2 per day, and
- 60% of the population lives in severe poverty.
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Such challenges can lead to more serious health issues and reproductive diseases, and contribute to school absenteeism. Young women may also refrain from participating in physical activities and have a lower level of confidence. Access to safe and affordable menstrual health management resources for young women in Africa is crucial for their long-term health and economic empowerment.
This project will:
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- Provide 15,000 underprivileged girls reusable menstruation cups.
- Stop the spread of disease. By directly disposing of blood in a toilet the risk of blood exposure is reduced
- Enable girls to stay in school who would otherwise stay home during their period.
- Offer a more sustainable solution. Cups cost less, are reusable, and reduce environmental waste.
- Provide supporting education the help increase to adoption of cups. Research shows education increases adoption rates from 20% to 93%
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What the Project Will Do
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- Team up with CouldYou?, a NGO who works in the Menstrual Health Management space in Africa. CouldYou? will coordinate production the 15,000 cups
- Partner with 3 local NGOs who will create cloth bags for storing the cups, distribute the cups, and provide educational support services to women.
- Leverage local Rotarians in the Sunyani-Central, Sunyani-East, Accra, and Kumasi Clubs to monitor and evaluate the progress of distribution and adoption of menstrual cups.
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Project Timeline
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Once approved by The Rotary Foundation the project will be implemented over a projected 21 months over 4 phases:
- Phase 1 - 4 months: Produce and ship cups to communities
- Phase 2 - 8 months: Mobilize communities, make cup storage bags, and prepare educational material
- Phase 3 - 8 months: Distribute cups and educate girls and women
- Phase 4 - 1 month: End of Project Evaluation
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Project History
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- Three separate clubs located in Ghana conducted interviews and focus groups within their communities to determine community needs. The need for additional Menstrual Health Management resources for underprivileged school girls emerged as critical.
- Research on potential solutions to this problem resulted in the selection of menstrual cups based on cost and sustainability.
- Based on cup price point and proven track record in other regions of Africa, the Rotary Clubs identified CouldYou? as the partner organization.
- CouldYou? leveraged their global network and identified Downtown Boston Rotary as a willing and able partner club to provide fundraising, organizational, and oversight support.
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Project Partners
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In addition to the 3 Rotary clubs in Ghana who will be active participants the project is partnering up
with the following organizations to provide the following support functions:
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- CouldYou? - Procure and assist in shipment of 15,000 reusable menstrual cups. Assist in
oversight over other organizations involved in the project. Focus on training and monitoring to
track effectiveness and uptake of cups in communities.
- Hope for Africa - Produce 4,000 carrying bags, assemble bags + cups, distribute to women.
- LiveRight Ghana - Produce 2,000 carrying bags, assemble bags + cups, distribute to women
- Aspire Global Network - Produce 9,000 carrying bags, assemble bags + cups,
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