Menstrual hygiene refers to the practices and conditions that help women and girls maintain cleanliness during menstruation. It involves the use of sanitary materials such as pads, tampons, or menstrual cups, as well as the adoption of proper hygiene habits to manage menstrual blood in a way that is both healthy and comfortable. Additionally, menstrual hygiene includes access to clean water, proper sanitation facilities, and education about menstruation to ensure that women and girls can manage their periods with dignity and without facing social stigma or health risks. Promoting menstrual hygiene is essential for the overall well-being and empowerment of individuals who menstruate.
The reason I decided to tackle menstrual hygiene as my project was because, many girls and women in Kenya suffer menstrual inequity because of both cost and access to disposable pads. One study shows that 46% of women and girls in rural areas and 65% in urban areas have access to and use disposable pads (MOH 2020). Another study showed that close to 20% of women and girls from both rural and urban areas, as a consequence of being unable to afford MHH products, are forced to make proxy menstrual products to manage their menstruation. These proxy products include toilet paper, pieces of blanket, cloth, or other natural materials. In a study of 3,418 women in rural western Kenya, 10% of 15-year-old pad users reported they had received their menstrual pads from sexual partners. Another study showed girls are being coerced into transactional sex so they can obtain menstrual products to manage their menstruation with dignity which in this day and age is unacceptable.