To ensure wellbeing of women and girls in society, it is important to create awareness about menstrual hygiene management (MHM).
Therefore, the stakeholders from public, private, and development sectors should join hands to enhance impact and outreach of their efforts.
Global MH Day 2022 event celebrated by Balochistan Rural Support Programme (BRSP) in Quetta was a commendable effort in this regard. The event was held in collaboration GIZ and other members of MHM Working Group, Quetta.
The speakers from diverse backgrounds on the occasion highlighted that to promote MHM related awareness in the society, we need to take teachers, female students of religious seminaries, lady health visitors and leaders from CSOs on board.
It was truly a timely effort as mass awareness on MHM is a critical need of hour to change the existing mindset in the society should be continued keeping the nature challenge in view.
Dr Shahnawaz, CEO, BRSP, during the event rightly highlighted that the awareness raising efforts on the subject would bring a real change in the society.
He assured the participants that BRSP would continue its effort to reach out to diverse segments of society on MHM and encourage a broader engagement to promote the message.
The other speakers asserted that we need to follow a joint strategy by all relevant sectors including education and health to ensure access to MHM related services and products to every woman and girl.
It was heartening to observe that during the ceremony, religious leaders representing Muslim, Christian, and Sikh faiths highlighted those religions encourage facilitation to women to enable them to protect their personal hygiene.
To highlight MHM related issues, painting competition amongst the students and role-playing performances were also made part of the event.
A detailed background of the MH Day was also shared with the participants during the event informing that it has been an excellent opportunity to spread much needed awareness on the critical issue of MHM and related challenges.
The stakeholders shown agreement on the notion that the public, private, and development sectors should join hands to enhance impact and outreach of their efforts.
They emphasized that mass awareness programmes to change the existing mindset in the society should be launched.
They added further that non-availability of MHM Services has always been one of the key hurdles to women’s social development. Therefore, it needs to be responded on priority basis.