Sanitary Pads & Reproductive Health Education

The Public Health team is excited to begin work on a new component of our school Mobile Clinics, the distribution of sanitary pads for menstruation and reproductive health education. It is common for young girls to miss school during menstruation due to a lack of sanitary supplies and not having a full understanding of what is happening to their bodies during this period of transition. In a preliminary needs assessment, most girls reported learning about menstruation from parents, teachers, or sisters and felt fear, shyness, or embarrassment about menstruation. Our Community Health Nurses and Community Health Workers are providing reproductive health education to parents and students and reusable, locally made sanitary pads for girls. Not only will this prevent girls from missing school, but it will promote open communication and education about reproductive health throughout the life course.