Charity’s Menstrual Hygiene Day Advocacy Empowers Young Adults

Herefordshire's water, sanitation, and hygiene charity, Hope Spring, was part of a coalition of NGOs that came together under the umbrella of Menstrual Hygiene Day. The coalition advocates improvements to menstrual hygiene in some of the poorest countries around the world.

Saturday, May 28, was declared by the group as Menstrual Hygiene Day. In the week leading up to the day, members of the group launch or participate in various advocacy activities for their cause.

Hope Spring's advocacy for the event was a series of training workshops with adolescent girls on how to make reusable sanitary pads. The workshop took place in schools and communities where families find the affordability of sanitary pads challenging.

Hope Spring's lead for the Menstrual Hygiene Day project, Bolu Olorunfemi, said, "Our work in schools helps equip girls with the knowledge and material they need to make their own sanitary pads." She added that "once they can make their own pads, using unhygienic materials such as rags and leaves will become a thing of the past.

Hope Spring funds its projects mainly from donations raised by its business Christmas charity eCards website. Platform manager for Hope Spring eCards, Seun Olonade, said of the Menstrual Hygiene Day events, "We thank the users of our eCard platform. They would be pleased to know that their donations have helped equip more than eighty young adults with the vital skills they need to tackle womanhood without fear or embarrassment".

The charity hopes to participate in the next Menstrual Hygiene Day, which is scheduled for Tuesday, May 28, 2024. The conclusion of this year's MH Day sees Hope Spring returning to what it does most of the year: building wells and boreholes.

For more information about Hope Spring's participation in MH Day 2023 and their clean water and other advocacy projects, visit their website or social media pages.