Menstrual Hygiene & Health (MHH) Program

Breaking menstrual taboos, empowering women, and building systems for sustainable dignity and health.

Pro Pride’s MHH Program has created transformative impact in Adama by empowering girls and women through menstrual health education, access to reusable sanitary products, and improved WASH infrastructure. Spanning 54 schools and reaching over 150,000 individuals, the initiative tackled stigma, improved attendance, and fostered gender equity across schools, factories, and communities. Through three core pillars—awareness and advocacy, product accessibility, and infrastructure development—the program changed lives, boosted confidence, and strengthened community ownership for lasting change.

Program Duration & Reach

  • Timeline: March 2022 – March 2025
  • Areas: Adama City and peri‑urban kebeles in Oromia Region
  • Target Groups: Students (in ~60 schools), factory workers, university students, community members, health professionals

Pillars of Implementation

Pillar 1: Sensitization & Advocacy

  • Street Shows: 16 amateur artists (12 women, 4 men) staged 21 events—drama, dance, poetry—in nine town spots and 12 schools, reaching 22,721 community members (12,000 women, 10,721 men).
  • Radio Programming: A 30-minute weekly program, Abaaboo, aired 104 episodes over two years on Asella Fana FM and Adama Broadcasting Service in Oromifa and Amharic, reaching an estimated 1.2 million listeners, with 330,000 in the intervention area.
  • Pass-Through Media: Flash disks (audio episodes) distributed to 55 school mini-media clubs; reached 82,826 students (40,060 girls).

Pillar 2: Institutional & Capacity Building

  • School Staff Training: 1,018 school directors, PTA members, teachers, supervisors trained in MHH with action plans submitted to woreda-level education offices.
  • University Peer Mentors: 15 female students trained on MHH, SRH, GBV, life skills; each coached 20 high school mentees monthly—reaching 1,096 students across schools.
  • Factory Engagement: MoU with Adama Industrial Park; trained 25 supervisors/managers and 1,106 factory workers (1,071 women, 35 men) on workplace support for MHH and life skills. Pad kits introduced.

Pillar 3: Access & Infrastructure

  • VSLA Formation: 10 VSLAs formed with 235 members, mobilizing Birr 468,595 savings and disbursing Birr 297,100 loans. Selected 31 pad sales agents received 3,100 reusable pads, later supplemented by 620 pads.
  • Health Worker ToT: Trained 333 HEWs and facility staff (280 women, 53 men); they reached 153,144 individuals (105,716 female) via facility- and community-based sessions.
  • WASH Infrastructure: Constructed or rehabilitated 36 sanitation blocks totaling 116 toilet seats and 18 water taps in target schools by January 2024.

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Impact at a Glance

Metric Result
Community outreach participants 22,721
Radio audience reached 1.2M listeners (330K local)
Students reached via school media 82,826
University mentees coached 1,096
Factory workers trained 1,106
Individuals receiving health education 153,144
Total reusable pads distributed >30,000
VSLA savings mobilized Birr 468,595
Loans disbursed via VSLA Birr 297,100
WASH facilities upgraded 36 blocks, 116 toilets, 18 fountains, 65 hand‑wash stations, MHH rooms in 35 schools

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Contact Us

Email: info@propride.org
Phone: +251 11 663 0144 | +251 91 120 0602
Address: Sister NGOs Building, Yeka Sub‑city, Woreda 9 (near Athletics Federation), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Branches:
– Dire Dawa: Kezira, Kebele 03 – Tel: +251 25 112 5143
– Addis Ababa: Lideta Sub‑City, 

Propride @2025