Menstrual hygiene management (MHM) is about ensuring that people who menstruate can privately, safely and hygienically manage it with confidence and dignity. MHM is not only about distributing pads or providing education to girls.
Effective MHM actions have three main components:MHM materials and supportive items, Private, safe and appropriate WASH facilities, and Information on menstruation and hygiene (including taboos and cultural beliefs).
Our MHM programming focuses primarily on schools and emergency contexts, recognizing that menstrual hygiene needs continue from day one of any crisis and throughout every month. We work with women, men, girls and boys to address cultural beliefs and taboos while ensuring girls and women have the facilities, materials, and knowledge they need to manage menstruation with dignity.
Our approach combines infrastructure improvements with education and ensures that MHM is integrated across WASH, health, protection, and education programming rather than treated as a separate issue.
The IFRC developed two types of MHM kits for emergency contexts based on operational research: Kit A (disposable) and Kit B (resusable). The MHM kits were designed to enable safe and hygienic management of the menstrual flow – and include items to enable the use of sanitary pads, as well as items for washing, drying, disposal and storage of reusable or disposable pads. Pragmatic and contextualized information, in local language and with descriptive pictures, is also included.
Click to read the infographic and to learn more about the process for developing an MHM Kit.
MHM kits are specifically designed for menstrual hygiene management and contain items like sanitary pads, underwear, soap, and washing/storage materials exclusively for people who menstruate.
Family hygiene kits are broader household-level distributions that typically include soap, toothbrushes, and general hygiene items for entire families, but often contain insufficient quantities of menstrual materials relative to the number of menstruating females in the household.
Dignity kits are protection-focused distributions that may include menstrual hygiene items alongside other personal care products, clothing, and items that support safety and dignity, particularly for women and girls in displacement situations.
See IFRCs MHM Guide for further information on the different types of kits and how to avoid duplication.
IFRC have developed a number of short animated videos on menstrual hygiene management in English, Spanish, French and Arabic.
See our WASH playlist on YouTube for recent examples of National Socieities work supporting women and girls with MHM.
Menstrual Hygiene Management
#NOMORELIMITS, PERIOD!
Gestion de l'hygiène menstruelle
#Nomorelimits, règles. Les défis de l'hygiène menstruelle pour les femmes et les filles en crise?
Manejo de la higiene menstrual
#Nomorelimits, periodos. Los desafios en hygiene menstrual de las mujeres y niñas en emergencias
الدورة الشهرية (تحديات النظافة الشهرية التي تواجهها النساء والفتيات في الأزمات)
إدارة النظافة الصحية أثناء الدورة الشهرية
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