The new standard for investing in menstrual health and hygiene

Leading global health organizations have unveiled a groundbreaking analysis outlining what donors, national governments, and the private sector need to invest to accelerate progress for menstrual health and hygiene (MHH). The report, Making the Case for Investing in Menstrual Health and Hygiene, is part of a growing effort to advance gender equality and contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

Ensuring good and safe menstrual health and hygiene (MHH) contributes to the overall health and well-being of women and girls around the world, and yet roughly 500 million women and girls face limitations when it comes to managing their menstruation. From poverty reduction and stronger economies to healthier populations and better educational outcomes, the benefits of investing in MHH are far-reaching, but despite an increased interest in MHH in recent years, the available funding in this space still does not match the current needs.

This new report, created by experts at Population Services International (PSI), PSI-Europe, The Case for Her, WASH United, and Simavi, in collaboration with the Global Menstrual Collective, is a comprehensive guide for both why and how to invest in MHH for the economic, educational, and health benefits of women and girls in low- and middle-income countries around the world.

“We found that the absence of comprehensive MHH programs is not due to a lack of agreement about the benefits, but rather uncertainty in what constitutes best practices in terms of implementation and funding,” said Odette Hekster, Managing Director of PSI-Europe and expert in sexual health and reproductive rights (SRHR).

To ensure the report would meet cross-sectoral needs, it was developed in consultation with government leaders, commercial partners, advocates, funders, and implementing partners over a series of interviews and virtual consultations. The resulting multi-tiered strategy combines programming, research, and advocacy for the holistic improvement of women’s and girls’ health and well-being. 

Making the Case for Investing in Menstrual Health and Hygiene contains key recommendations at the community, organizational, national, and global levels in order to effectively catalyze funding. These suggestions are presented alongside an overview of current progress and critical gaps as well as barriers to investment, and include:

• How to improve coordination between stakeholders
• Where to focus funding for strategic and effective programming
• Opportunities to increase the evidence base and track progress

This post was co-authored by PSI, PSI Europe, Simavi, WASH United, and The Case for Her

We encourage you to read the report and share how your institution or organization can use its key recommendations at the community, organizational, national, and global levels to effectively catalyze funding for MHH, using this social media toolkit.

For any inquiries or comments, please contact us:

• Hilda Alberda (hilda.alberda@simavi.nl)
• Odette Hekster (ohekster@psi.org)
• Ina Jurga (ina.jurga@wash-united.org)
• Stephanie Kim (skim@psi.org)