Hygiene Issues in Disaster Events Angela Devlen President,
Mahila Partnership
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The Core Issue
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An estimated menstruating girls and women struggle to find
clean water for washing, private places for changing, and adequate
blood absorbing materials. 200 million
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Particularly following disasters, the lack of access to
feminine hygiene materials places their health and their future at
risk.
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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
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Typical disaster-relief hygiene kits, if you can get one, may
include 2-3 sanitary pads, which wont last for even one cycle
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Lessons from the Field
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Case Example Nepal
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A four-hour hike through the foothills of the Himalayas
and
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A three-hour drive in a 4x4 to Kathmandu
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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 ?
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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
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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
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Distribution of sustainably sourced, culturally sensitive
hygiene kits post- disaster
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Needs assessments, education materials, seminars, training of
trainers, and advising on SPHERE standards
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Partnerships and investments in women-led local enterprises to
create sanitary pads and other products for distribution, sale, and
sourcing of kits
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Case Example Fond des Blancs, Haiti Mahila Partnership and
Haiti Projects are working together to build local womens
leadership capacity, entrepreneurship, and access to health &
hygiene services
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The Artisanat Sewing Co-op designs and sews sanitary pads. The
Womens Health Clinic provides the pads at a low cost and educates
women about the importance of hygiene, family planning and
nutrition.
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And when the earthquake hit, I decided to come back to Fond des
Blancs. Soon after, I was hired full time. - Ronage
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In Fond des Blancs kids can now go to school starting at
kindergarten and continuing on to the senior year in high school.
That wasnt always possible. - Yvenah
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The Way Forward
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Ensure education materials and hygiene kits are tailored to the
cultural needs of the recipients Education 123 Needs
AssessmentEducation MaterialsSeminars
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Promote the use of products that are sourced by local,
sustainably focused enterprises Sustainability 123 Invest
LocallyAccess to MarketsSourcing
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Establish local partnerships to allow for more effective
field-based distribution Collaboration 123 Local PartnershipsWASH
IntegrationGovernment
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Addressing the most pressing health & hygiene needs of
women & girls after disasters www.mahilapartnership.org Thank
you
