Stayfree is using its expertise in menstrual
hygiene to act as a knowledge partner for UNICEF’s program to education
girls on Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM).
The Johnson & Johnson Consumer
Health feminine-hygiene brand
provides product-specification guidance to be used in the MHM guidelines, along
with high-impact campaigns and on-the-ground support to deliver positive social
change in this area. Together, Stayfree and UNICEF have educated over 1.7
million girls across India on MHM in the last seven years.
Cultural taboos, combined with a lack of information and access to sanitary
napkins, mean that menstruation still limits the lives of women and girls in
many places. Stayfree and UNICEF partnered to develop a series of social and
behavior-change initiatives to address these challenges and improve
understanding among girls, families and the wider society.
In India, about 15 million girls enter the menarche cycle every year, yet more
than 71 percent of them have no
knowledge of menstruation before their periods. The MHM program aims to increase
awareness and normalize periods for women and girls and their communities across
the country.
The initiative helped strengthen the adoption of MHM guidelines across the
states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and
Assam by empowering over 10,000 trainers to ensure the program was
self-sustaining; it has also helped to reduce the school dropout rates of girls
entering their menarche cycle.
“Stayfree has always believed in normalizing period conversations and promoting
best practices for Menstrual Hygiene Management; our partnership with UNICEF is
a testament to the brand’s steadfast commitment to this core belief,” says
Manoj Gadgil — VP of Marketing for Johnson & Johnson Consumer Division,
India. “The brand has built a strong ecosystem through targeted initiatives such
as #PeriodAmbassadors, wherein efforts of young girls and their fathers who
have made a difference were acknowledged and celebrated through various
initiatives. Stayfree has brought about a significant cultural shift amongst
local communities — debunking myths around period taboos and giving impetus to
open conversations on improved menstrual hygiene practices. In partnership with
UNICEF, the brand will continue striving towards the objective of bringing about
sustainable, long-term social change in society.”
#PeriodAmbassadors
The #PeriodAmbassadors campaign supports and celebrates people who lead by
example to normalize period conversations in their homes, neighborhoods and
society at large — aiming to help young girls feel confident and supported. One
of the many lives touched by Stayfree through the MHM guidelines is Basant
Lal — a father of eight daughters from Mirzapur. When his daughter,
Priya Devi, became a peer educator on MHM in her village, he provided
complete support and even attended menstrual health workshops led by her. Today,
Basant continues to be an ardent supporter of menstrual health for girls in the
village.
“UNICEF recognizes the need to break the silence that surrounds
menstruation by imparting appropriate knowledge —
not limited to girls and women, but also men and boys — on the importance of
menstrual hygiene, empowering girls to talk freely about menstruation and
facilitating behavior change,” says Nicolas Osbert, Chief of Water,
Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) at UNICEF India. “UNICEF works with partners like
Stayfree — reaching over three million girls with awareness-raising
interventions, and more than 10,000 trainers sensitized and engaged across
states to support menstrual hygiene management practices.”
Convening stakeholder support in India
Working with local and government stakeholders has been vital to advance success
of the program. In Bihar, alliances with stakeholders such as state-level CSO
partners, teachers’ forums and government counterparts have played a key role in
mobilizing people on MHM. These alliances enabled the initiative to reach more
than 80,000 women and children directly through various activities including the
#RedDotChallenge,
online webinars and quizzes, poem and article competitions, and a Facebook
Live talk show.
In Uttar Pradesh, 3,507 local stakeholders were trained on MHM topics to support
the implementation of MHM activities and raise awareness within the community.
Across Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, more than 50,000 rural women in self-help groups
and 100,000 adolescent girls have been reached with MHM messages on proper
hygiene during menstruation, the use of safe products, and breaking taboos
around MHM.
Stayfree and UNICEF continue to work together and remain committed to improving
menstrual health and hygiene management among adolescent girls around the world.
