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Dignity in every stall: flow forward

Project Category:

Education/Training
Advocacy/Engagement

My project is about period health and reproductive health, specifically for women and girls.

The project will include two streams, intended to compliment one another: making improvements and changes to the LLC restroom facilities (both men’s and women’s washrooms) and creating sessions or another form of information and knowledge sharing about reproductive health (at the centre). Through these two streams, I aim to help improve the usability, safety, cleanliness, and accessibility of the washrooms at the LLC so that all community members can feel dignified and supported.

Women’s health issues as a whole has always been something I have felt passionate about and my specific motivation for these issues has come from two personal experiences at the LLC. I noticed almost immediately some of the challenges and differences between washrooms at home compared to the one at LLC and broader in Liberia, and how this directly impacts and makes things a bit more complicated for women (especially during menstruation). I also feel very passionately that knowledge is power and I believe that women and girls should know what is happening during their menstrual cycle and should be able to make informed decisions about their reproductive health (including sex-ed, relationships, menstruation, etc.).

Project Lead(s)

Alessia Carbone

Key Objectives & Goals

Raise awareness about period hygiene and the use of different period products by creating and running sessions AND/OR creating informational materials such as pamphlets or social media posts that promote education and knowledge

Advocating and obtaining funding to improve the bathrooms at the LLC

Advocating and obtaining funding to provide period products (free of charge) at the centre (or creating an emergency period toolkit at the centre)

Project Process & Activities

I have spoken with Sele as he could connect me with some of his friends and professional networks that do work in this space

I will gather information about funding/budget for bathroom improvements and obtaining period products

I will need to speak with local women to get a better understanding of dating cultural, reproductive health norms/values, and what might be valuable for them

I will need to create signage and information about the various improvements and norms

I will work with Sele and the management team to improve the messaging and rental agreement information pertaining to the use of the bathrooms at the centre

Project Outcomes & Deliverables

Physical changes to the bathroom like:

Hooks in the stalls

improving/changing the toilet paper holding situation

Increasing privacy of the space (ie. further blurring the windows)

Reliable soap in the washroom for hand washing

Improving and developing signage that is accessible to all (gender signs, hand-washing protocol, etc.)

Programs that ensure:

Reliable water in the washrooms

Regular and scheduled cleaning and checks

Creating a session(s) that promote reproductive health information, specifically targeting women and girls (12+)

Challenges & Learnings

Funding for the changes and things I want to implement.

Challenging current norms and beliefs about reproductive health and personal hygiene practices.

Putting systems into place that can continue and will last when I leave may also be a challenge as there is not always a consistent female staff member on site.

It may also be challenging to get people to sign up for the program if there is stigma and taboo associated with the topic

Future Plans & How To Get Involved

I plan to continue this work when I go home, advocating for period products in bathrooms and potentially going to high schools and delivering presentations to students about these topics that are meaningful and helpful.

I will need support from Sele and other team members to get guidance on the water situation, funding, and options for physical improvements. I will also need Sele to help guide me and introduce me to his connections.