Hygiene Issues in Disaster Events Angela Devlen President, Mahila Partnership

The Core Issue

An estimated menstruating girls and women struggle to find clean water for washing, private places for changing, and adequate blood absorbing materials. 200 million

Particularly following disasters, the lack of access to feminine hygiene materials places their health and their future at risk.

LACK OF ACCESS TO HYGIENE MATERIALS POOR HEALTH & HYGIENE MAGNIFIED EDUCATION DISPARITIES REDUCED PARTICIPATION IN HOUSEHOLD & COMMUNITY RECOVERY LACK OF SAFE ACCESS TO WATER AND LATRINES BARRIERS FOLLOWING DISASTERS LACK OF HEALTH EDUCATION

Typical disaster-relief hygiene kits, if you can get one, may include 2-3 sanitary pads, which won’t last for even one cycle

Lessons from the Field

Case Example – Nepal

A four-hour hike through the foothills of the Himalayas and…

A three-hour drive in a 4x4 to Kathmandu

In the absence of necessary sanitary materials for menstruation, she may use rags, mattress pads, dried leaves, dried cow dung, old newspaper, ash, shared materials, and other unsafe alternatives. Imagine if this were your daughter ?

Mahila Partnership addresses the health and hygiene needs of women and girls following disasters. Mahila Health Eco-Friendly Sanitary Pads & Hygiene Kits Materials Education Development Mahila Advisors Gender & Health Experts Consulting Training Research Mahila Response Disaster Response Support Teams Coordinating needed supplies Managing inquiries/requests for volunteers Providing services with a focus on health & hygiene

Together with our partners, through a combination of post- disaster hygiene kit distribution and local cottage industry sanitary pad production, 1 million women and girls in need of sanitary supplies will receive sanitary pads in the next 5 years (photo credit: Mahila Partner, Haiti Projects) Mahila Health

Distribution of sustainably sourced, culturally sensitive hygiene kits post- disaster

Needs assessments, education materials, seminars, training of trainers, and advising on SPHERE standards

Partnerships and investments in women-led local enterprises to create sanitary pads and other products for distribution, sale, and sourcing of kits

Case Example – Fond des Blancs, Haiti Mahila Partnership and Haiti Projects are working together to build local women’s leadership capacity, entrepreneurship, and access to health & hygiene services

The Artisanat Sewing Co-op designs and sews sanitary pads. The Women’s Health Clinic provides the pads at a low cost and educates women about the importance of hygiene, family planning and nutrition.

“And when the earthquake hit, I decided to come back to Fond des Blancs. Soon after, I was hired full time.” - Ronage

“In Fond des Blancs kids can now go to school starting at kindergarten and continuing on to the senior year in high school. That wasn’t always possible.” - Yvenah

The Way Forward

Ensure education materials and hygiene kits are tailored to the cultural needs of the recipients Education 123 Needs AssessmentEducation MaterialsSeminars

Promote the use of products that are sourced by local, sustainably focused enterprises Sustainability 123 Invest LocallyAccess to MarketsSourcing

Establish local partnerships to allow for more effective field-based distribution Collaboration 123 Local PartnershipsWASH IntegrationGovernment

Addressing the most pressing health & hygiene needs of women & girls after disasters Thank you