Ending stigma around menstruation through WASH UP! Girl Talk

The WASH UP! Girl Talk project was developed out of the realisation that there was very little Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) promotion in Zimbabwe and that girls in particular were missing up to 20% of the school year due to lack of adequate facilities and materials to use when they went into their menses. The project has empowered primary school girls and boys between 10-14 years with knowledge on puberty, menstruation and MHM. WASH UP! Girl Talk also helped various groups such as boys, girls, men, women, traditional leaders and churches to dispel common myths and misconceptions about puberty and menstruation.

WASH UP! GIRL Talk has managed to contribute to Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) principles, through breaking the systems, such as taboos, negative social norms, cultural and religious practices that discriminated against menstruating women and girls. As a result, the project has witnessed custodians of culture and religious practices such as traditional leaders, churches now actively involved in supporting menstruating women and girls to manage their menstruation safely and with dignity through promotion of reusable pad making and relaxation of some discriminative and repressive practices at home and in churches.