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Empowering Girls
through Menstrual Hygiene Management

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The Situation:
Each year thousands of Girls in San Miguel reach puberty and experience their first period. Rarely are they prepared. What information they have is generally wrong. More than 75% of Girls report loss of self-esteem after menarche, the first menstrual period. Menstruation is viewed as shameful, unclean and something to be hidden. Commercial products, such as sanitary pads, are financially beyond the reach of most families. Consequently, Girls miss school, fall behind and have fewer opportunities to get an equitable education.
 
The Solution: The project is focused on young Girls reaching puberty and beginning their menstrual cycles. It provides education, opportunity, and sustainable menstrual management materials. It emphasizes menstruation as a natural and healthy process. It celebrates the miracle of being a woman.
 
Education: Providing timely knowledge to the Girls so they understand what is happening to their bodies and understand the blessing power of being able to create life is the first step to remove the stigma surrounding menstruation. The Girl’s workshops gives Girls a full and accurate understanding of their body, its anatomy, and their sacred power to create life. The program empowers them to make informed decisions about their lives and their bodies.
 
Opportunity: Being able to effectively manage the menstrual cycle means that young women need not be absent from school or work. Employment opportunities increase with fewer days missed from work. More education and better jobs are a path out of poverty.

Sustainable Menstrual Products: The project provides each Girl with a washable, reusable sanitary napkin kit to be able to manage their menstrual period. This eases the financial burden of continuously purchasing environmentally unfriendly disposable sanitary pads. The kits are complete and provide all that is needed for three years of effective menstrual management. Having the proper materials and tools to manage the period in a dignified and healthy manner increases confidence in all parts of their lives.
 
Self-confidence: Understanding and celebrating the sacredness of womanhood elevates self-esteem. Girls can stay in school and have an equal opportunity to complete their education. Gender disparity is reduced. Knowledge, pride, and self-awareness leads to better outcomes. Peer bonds and trusted support systems are established in the Girl’s Empowerment Workshop.

The Method: To achieve a successful transition between childhood and adulthood requires more than a band aid approach of providing free supplies and an understanding of “managing” their period as if it was a chronic illness to be endured. Adolescence is complicated physically and psychosocially. It is important to take a holistic approach to supporting a young Girl becoming a woman. Ninas Sabias is an educational program of five two-hour modules presented over a period of five days. The girls participate in a series of culturally relevant rituals and spiritual exercises, and they come to embrace their power and capabilities. They learn how to make informed decisions about their bodies and sexuality. The Ninas Sabias program has been taught to over 2000 Girls in Mexico and Costa Rica over the last five years.
 
Master Teachers: Hana Figueroa of Ninas Sabias provides a five-day, forty-hour training to form local, Certified Master Teachers. The training includes a systemized guide to replicate in the Girl’s Empowerment Workshops. In San Miguel, we trained 10 Master Teachers in July 2022. This fall they will then begin to provide workshops to groups of 20 Girls at a time in the 4th, 5th and 6th grades. Rotary Midday is seeking a Rotary Foundation Global Grant to fund the workshops and provide ecologically sensible menstrual management kits to the girls.
 
School Workshops: The Secretary of Public Education, Guanajuato (SEP) is supporting the program and providing credentials to the Master Teachers as they go to each school. SEP will arrange for four workshops per week. 2000 girls will be trained. The average cost per Girl is USD$47.00. In addition to the workshop, each Girl taking the workshop will receive an ecologically friendly menstrual management kit consisting of all she needs to manage her period safely and hygienically for the following three years.
 
Cost: The total cost of creating 2000 new “Empowered Girls” will be USD$85,000. We expect to repeat this global grant project annually and, we anticipate that that there will future grants to provide funding to remodel existing sanitary school facilities so that a private dignified and appropriate place will be available to Girls during the school day. In the future, we hope to provide micro-credit opportunities to establish local menstrual kit manufacturing.

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The Rotary Club of San Miguel de Allende - Midday
Club 70057 - Rotary District 4140
San Miguel de Allende, Mexico