Advancing Menstrual Health and Hygiene in Humanitarian Settings: A Regional Workshop by PMC-E
Addis Ababa, December 08, 2023: PMC-E hosts a Regional Familiarization Workshop on Inclusive Menstrual Health and Hygiene (MHH) Toolkit in Humanitarian Settings, generously supported by UNICEF.
In his opening remark, Dr. Hailegnaw Eshete, Country Director of Population Media Center Ethiopia (PMC-E), extended a warm welcome to participants, expressing gratitude for their presence. He underscored PMC-E’s two-decade commitment to pivotal issues such as reproductive health, girls’ education, and environmental sustainability. Collaborating with UNICEF, UNFPA, Save the Children, and other partners, PMC-E is actively addressing critical concerns like WASH, nutrition, and harmful practices. Dr. Hailegnaw emphasized the organization’s dedication to using entertainment-education and diverse mass media to foster positive behavioral changes, spanning various languages to reach wider audiences.
Highlighting the urgency of addressing Menstrual Health and Hygiene (MHH) amidst displacements, crises, and refugee situations, Dr. Hailegnaw expressed gratitude for the participants’ active involvement. He asserted that MHH is not merely an individual concern but a societal one, urging everyone to contribute to the discussion and share their experiences for effective solutions.
Feleke Kibret, PMC-E/UNICEF WASH and Nutrition Project Coordinator prioritized the Training of Trainers (TOT) approach and national cascading of the workshop. He stressed the significance of developing action plans to ensure comprehensive training dissemination across regions.
Habtamu Tezera, Managing Director of Grace Consultancy, delivered a comprehensive presentation covering discussions, introductions, rationale, objectives, scope, and components of the MHH toolkit in humanitarian settings. He delved into effective inclusive MHH programming, needs assessment, program planning, implementation procedures, materials, infrastructure, waste management, safeguarding, and
monitoring.
Throughout the two-day workshop, participants engaged in robust discussions on existing practices, best practices, challenges, and opportunities related to MHH. Issues such as room availability, logistics, toolkit distribution, and community engagement were raised, with participants sharing both successes and hurdles. Challenges included limited MHH services in humanitarian settings, coordination issues, weak male engagement, and the absence of standardized guidelines. The participants also formulated regional cascading operational plans for future implementation. The active participation and dialogue among attendees from various regions, including Tigray, Amhara, Oromia, Benishagul Gumuz, Gambella, Southwest Ethiopia, Central Ethiopia, South Ethiopia, Dire Dewa, Harari, and Sidama, underscored the commitment to collectively address and enhance inclusive Menstrual Health and Hygiene in humanitarian settings.
