SuSanA WG7 news   #MHDay2019
 
We welcome ‘Pad Man’ as the 350th SuSanA partner
Join Mr. A. Muruganantham in his mission to empower girls and women worldwide!
SuSanA is proud to announce that Mr. Muruganantham’s social enterprise, that builds affordable pad machines, has become the 350th partner organisation of our network. His machine has already been exported to 25 countries. He has helped countless women’s collectives to gain an income by producing and selling biodegradable sanitary pads. Recently, Mr. Muruganantham has been included in the list of the ‘World’s 50 Greatest Leaders‘ of the FORTUNE Magazine 05/2019. His story is told in the Bollywood movie ‘Padman‘ and his machine is featured in the Oscar premiered short documentary ‘Period. End of Sentence‘. Let us join forces with Mr. Muruganantham to spread his low cost sanitary movement across the globe!
Menstrual Hygiene Day 2019
It’s Time for Action!
Every year on May 28th, the Menstrual Hygiene Day raises awareness and combats taboos associated with menstruation. The goal is to enable women and girls to achieve their full potential. How can we create a world in which no one is limited by their periods? Here’s how the world answered!
Global launch of report on MHM activities in Nepal
How ‚MenstruAction‘ is making life better for girls and women in Nepal
Nepal’s Menstrual Movement – The topic MHM has gained considerable momentum in Nepal since the earthquake in 2015. The fantastic work of development initiatives and activists of the MHM Practitioner Alliance Nepal is documented in the report ‘Nepal’s Menstrual Movement’. It has been launched on MH Day 2019 parallel in Berlin and Kathmandu.
Period. End Of Sentence.
An Oscar-winning documentary
A period should end a sentence, not a girl´s education. But, unfortunately, that´s exactly what´s happening all over the world. The documentary ‘Period. End of Sentence.‘ tells in less than 30 minutes the stories of girls and women in Hapur, India and their experiences with the installation of a machine that produces cheap menstrual pads in their village. Soon, all of the women are determined to work on the pad machine, and to create a micro-economy to support themselves for the very first time. We echo the inventor of the machine, Mr. Muruganantham (video above), when he says: "The strongest creature on earth is not the elephant, not the tiger, but the girl."
What gets measured, gets done
Direct and indirect MHM indicators within the SDG WinS Monitoring Framework
Schools provide the ideal environment to reach all girls and boys and address taboos and misconceptions about menstruation in a culturally sensitive manner. Ministries of Education have the power and the responsibility to transform schools into places with MHM-friendly sanitation facilities and easy access to information about menarche and menstruation. The poster shows direct and indirect MHM Indicators within the SDG WASH in Schools (WinS) Monitoring Framework to be measured in each school using the EMIS – Education Management Information System.
India Chapter thematic discussion series
Adressing the last (female) mile
A commonly-overlooked challenge is sanitation needs of pregnant women and the elderly. Decision-makers are often unaware of gender concerns and assume technical matters are gender neutral in some way. This discussion examines how a universal access sanitation programme can prioritise the needs of women, especially those excluded because they live in remote locations, and have temporary or permanent special needs. It will also elicit examples from members about where this has been done successfully, or where it has faced challenges.
Free pads for all schools in Nepal
Nepal’s president announces free sanitary pads for all students
On May 3rd the president of Nepal has announced that all girls in the 38.000 schools in the country will be provided with free sanitary pads. This is a huge step in a great direction! However, this also emphasizes the need to support the production of local and sustainable sanitary products. Waste management and especially the amounts of single-use-plastic is a huge issue in Nepal and many other countries.
Pasador making in Philippine schools
Sewing reusable sanitary pads as part of home economics classes
The idea of making reusable cloth pads – so called Pasadors – in schools, originated in Cadiz East where a teacher included this activity in her lessons on recycling. Since then, selected schools in the Philippines have integrated Pasador making into their lesson plan of home economics. Through this activity, performed by girls and boys together, the children not only learn to identify menstrual hygiene as a basic need and to manage family resources, but also about WASH in schools and the environmental impact of disposable products
23rd Society for Menstrual Cycle Research Conference
Traversing the Ridge – Connecting Menstrual Research and Advocacy
This year’s SMCR conference is taking place in Colorado Springs from 6th until 8th of June. The conference features presentations about all aspects of the menstrual cycle, from research, theory, art and activism.

One of the presentations will feature the M.Sc. thesis ‘The monthly costs of bleeding’ (SuSanA Link) that is based on research conducted in cooperation with Femme International in Tanzania.
7th Virtual Conference on MHM in Schools
Conference proceedings available online now
The 7th Virtual Conference on Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) in Schools was held on 30 October 2018 as part of the Water & Health Conference, hosted by the Water Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the USA. The virtual conference reached an estimated 1,300 participants with over 100 countries represented. It aimed at enabling the global sharing of new ideas and lessons learned, and connects people working on MHM in schools in a wide range of countries.
MHM publications in the SuSanA library
SuSanA partners active in MHM
On MH Day 2019, our network celebrates 350 partner organisations. We are happy to see a growing number of our partners engaging in providing menstrual health products for all.
Discussions on MH in the SuSanA Forum
Key documents for the sub-category on menstrual hygiene management
by muench (24.02.2015), last replies by: Esther, muench,
(total 2 replies)
You received this email because you registered either as partner institution or working group member to the Sustainable Sanitation Alliance or subscribed to the mailing list. If you are a SuSanA member and would like to cancel or change your subscription, please log in and unsubscribe/change under "Change your details".

If you are not a SuSanA member and want to unsubscribe the mailing list, please click here.
Imprint
The secretariat of the Sustainable Sanitation Alliance is located at:
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH
Friedrich-Ebert-Allee 36 + 40
53113 Bonn, Germany

info@susana.org