Mahila Partnership

 


Health

To address the most pressing public health and hygiene issues affecting women and girls

 

In many developing countries, women and girls are placed at an enormous disadvantage due to an absence of effective and affordable menstruation management. The lack of the most basic of feminine hygiene needs for women and girls exacerbates gender and education disparities, results in poor hygiene, reproductive health issues, and the spread of disease.  These challenges are often magnified following humanitarian and natural disasters.
Mahila Health supports gender equality through reproductive health education and resources.  Our innovative program is based on addressing menstruation and reproductive health as development tools and encouraging local women to spear head this effort. This is accomplished through a long-term phased approach that provides for a) immediate hygiene needs through the provision of hygiene kits, b) reproductive health and hygiene education and c) integration with our Mahila Development programs to stimulate economic development and sustainability. 

 

The Project

Hygiene Project – Haiti  In April 2010 the Mahila Partnership team met with our partners in Haiti; women’s groups in Port au Prince representing women living in the poorest areas such as Cite Soliel, Carrefour, and the unnamed camps outside of the city. Sanitary items were described as an urgent and critical need.  The Haitian Nurses Association (L’Association Nationale des Infirmières Licenciées D’Haïti (ANILH)) made a formal follow up request for hygiene and sanitation materials stating the needs remaining are immense.  Our goal is to ensure that the fundamental human right of access to basic hygiene needs is being met.

 

Our Results

We have provided hygiene kits to ANILH, identified two locations in Port-au-Prince to serve as locations to house supplies and we are preparing to expand our program through and for the benefit of our local partners.  Together we continue to identify needs for the procurement, assembly and distribution of hygiene kits.  In 2011 we will begin to conduct the hygiene education programs.

 



































 

 

 

 

 

Haiti Hygiene Project

 

 

Our Solution

HYGIENE KITS:  We provide Mahila Hygiene Kits for women and girls that have little to no access to feminine care products.  
EDUCATION:  Our program provides a booklet, a seminar and a train the trainer program for Haitian women to educate other women and girls about healthy reproductive health practices for women.  Through basic reproductive health education, women and girls gain important knowledge about appropriate feminine hygiene and gynecological care.