Overall targets
Raise awareness about the health issues related to Menstrual Health Management/MHM: By the end of the intervention the girls in the ten selected will have increased awareness on the MHM. By the end of the project, the girls are having access to basic information about the menstrual cycle. Undertake advocacy: The girls will advocate for their right and their voices to be heard first by the parents, their teachers and finally by the school’s authorities. It is expected that the girls will become health activist and will be reaching out to many of their peers in different schools and family settings in Gambia.
Immediate targets
1. Awareness about the health issues related to MHM. By the end of the intervention the girls in the ten selected will increased awareness on the MHM. By the end of the project, the girls having access to basic information about the menstrual cycle. 2. Advocacy. The girls will advocate for their right and their voices to be heard first by the parents, their teachers and finally by the school’s authorities
Target groups
First Target Groups: 100 Girls, thus is 10 schoolgirls in each of the 10 selected schools: This group is made up of girls from age 10-16 from selected schools in the greater Banjul area. We target 1500 in total from the selected schools. They would learn and practice and share their new knowledge with their mothers and other family members in their community. We anticipate that through the students the communities they live in would become aware and gradually bad menstrual practices would phase out with time. Second Target Group: 50 School teachers and Peer health educators: We would reach out to also like to 50 schoolteachers and peer health educators within the school clubs. The training would equip them with the right knowledge to share and train other young future students. It would also enable them to interact with other schools that were not initially part of the project. 2500 other people are expected to benefit through the radio and TV programs. The 10 selected schools would now be our ambassadors to promote Menstrual health awareness to the students.
Resume
Menstrual Health Management for schoolgirls in Gambia is a real problem for many girls. Menstrual taboos have existed, and still exist strongly in the Gambian culture. Throughout history, misconceptions about menstruation have led to girls’ exclusion from all kinds of roles and settings. The taboo of menstruation helps inflict shame and low self-worth upon many of women and girls. Through this intervention, we want to bring girls in 10 public junior schools in the Gambia to understand and to be aware of the menstrual health, which we believe through our baseline studies, being big problem in the Gambia especially among the young school girls. And through Sensitization, Training workshops, Drama drama’s, skits, and Seminar, they will gain knowledge and awareness on menstrual period management. They will also become health activist and been able to reach out to many of their peers in different schools. Furthermore, we will suggest the inclusion of the menstrual management in the schools.