The Flow Project

Poor menstrual hygiene among adolescent girls is one associated with physical health risk and has been associated with reproductive and urinary tract infections. Despite this, majority of this population particularly those in the rural and underserved communities continue to use old methods of blood collection during menstruation such as clothes/rags, dry leaves, papers. Period poverty is a global issue and a major determinant of health outcomes among women of reproductive age with more impact on adolescent girls. According to a report by UNICEF, “About 75% of adolescent girls in Nigeria are unable to afford sanitary pads”. Aside the educational and economic implications, period poverty further drives early pregnancy, HIV/AIDS and STDs among women and girls due to their inability to afford sanitary products.

The main objectives of the flow project are • To increase awareness and emphasize on the fundamental role good menstrual hygiene management plays in advancing reproductive health, quality education and promoting gender equality. • To provide comprehensive sexuality education including awareness on teenage pregnancy, rape, and HIV/AIDS prevention • To empower women and girls with skills on how to make hygienic reusable sanitary pads from locally available materials.

By placing a focus on women of reproductive age particularly adolescent girls in rural communities in Nigeria, who  do not have access to sanitary products during  menstruation; The FLOW PROJECT focuses on bridging the gap between poverty, social disparities (inaccessibility to hygienic sanitary products during menstruation) and health through education and empowerment of women of reproductive age particularly adolescent girls in rural and underserved communities with a pilot in the Kajola-Ijesha community of Osun State, Nigeria. Initially, a community based rapid assessment was carried out to identify the community’s reproductive health needs, thereafter, key stakeholders including the youth and women leaders were further engaged to discuss the identified problem and secure commitment towards the project.

Trainings were organized on how to make hygienic reusable pads from locally available materials. Additionally, Health promotions sessions were carried out including using Information Education and Communication (IEC) materials, on topics such as menstrual hygiene management, HIV/AIDS transmission and prevention methods, rape and teenage pregnancy prevention using a bi-lingual (English and Yoruba) approach. A Pre and post survey was conducted to assess participants’ level of understanding.

To increase the impact of the project, a virtual “training of trainers program” was organized, where we educated 70 pre-selected participants, who become Health Champions from different rural and urban communities across the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria to drive the fight against period poverty and women empowerment. These health champions will serve as community-based health promoters.

In addition, we leverage on digital mobilization and social media (Twitter and Facebook) together with the incorporation of animations to raise awareness on comprehensive sexuality education including initiating a 10-day challenge to further educate the online audience. The pilot phase of this challenge reached an audience of almost 8,000 people.