It was a day full of joy when, at Partners For Conservation, we received an email from our board member Samira Rajabi, PhD, about her winning for PFC the Rotary eClub One’s grant to support the Menstruation Health Management project.

Since 2015, Partners For Conservation has been promoting Public Health to drive local community involvement in preserving a biodiversity legacy. Our focus has always been to support poor, marginalized, and vulnerable people.

This particular support will help Partners For Conservation implement the Menstruation Health Management component of its Public Health Programme. Menstruation affects half of the world’s population once a month. Still, for many women and girls, the monthly bleeding poses significant problems, especially for those who have limited access to suitable products, sanitation, and painkillers. Especially in low-income families, where effective and hygienic materials like pads, tampons, or menstrual cups are not affordable, many women rely on alternative materials that are often uncomfortable, not hygienic, and insufficient, like pieces of fabric, leaves, or toilet paper.

But beyond affordability, stereotypes, taboos, and myths are major problems for girls and women. In many societies, girls who are menstruating are seen as unclean and face restrictions. This is the case in Rwanda, where the high costs of menstrual health products and the existence of stereotypes affect women, especially in rural areas.

This project targets 125 women from Kabagorozi cell of Nyange sector in Musanze district, in the Northern Province of Rwanda, in the surroundings of the Volcanoes National Park. According to many reports, the health situation around this park is poor due to inadequate sanitation, insufficient health services, and poverty. The most affected are indigenous people who suffer from other diseases such as STDs, chronic diseases, cardiovascular diseases, delinquent behaviors, psychological diseases, and diseases related to malnutrition and poor hygiene/sanitation.

From this perspective, two main questions arise: (1) How can we talk about equality in conservation, and (2) What would conservation look like when half of the world’s population is sidelined?

Partners For Conservation recognized the need for improved hygiene for women to gain their rightful place in conservation. This project aims to educate women about their bodies and menstruation, raise awareness about myths and taboos, and provide them with the necessary skills to make alternative and disposable sanitary pads in the form of reusable pads. The project will teach women how to sew reusable sanitary pads out of materials available at local markets, such as washable cotton, which can be used for up to two years. Equipping women with this knowledge and these skills will help them overcome isolation and stigma.