We implemented the Water and Pads project. We went to Medjo, a small village in the western region of Cameroon. In fact menstruation is often an obstacle to the education of girls in rural areas, because they are ashamed and stay at home.So a better management of menstrual hygiene helps to build the girls' confidence. It is also motivating in their quest for a better future through a quality education. It is a commitment of our CEFAP organisation with our partner the International Alliance of Women IAW / AIF. Since November 2020 CEFAP is also a member of the IAW Board, read full report.

APWA Empowering young girls and women through its mother & Child Health Centers by providing health services to women and girls on reproductive rights, family planning, breast feeding and cancer awareness programs.

Many activities were conducted with the support of health staff, friends of APWA, donors on awareness rising of sanitation and hygiene. Pad and sanitation kits were also distributed. Till date almost 1000 women benefited from this program in couple of years all over Punjab.
read whole report.

Rita Marque Mbata, President of WCCF Zimbabwe

"A covid-19 training was held by WCCF in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe with the support of ADF-SVF Suisse the Swiss and DFR the German IAW Affiliate Organizations. The workshop was held on 12 June, 2020. There was a delay in the convening of the workshop because the country was under lock down, and people were not allowed to congregate. Prior to the workshop Women’s Comfort Corner Foundation tested the temperatures of all the attendees who had registered to attend on a daily basis for a period of 14 days and demonstrated how to do a bleach solution, a method which was easily grasped by the participants..." read the whole report.

Thérèse AKAKPO Adjoa, Coordinator of LA COLOMBE:

"... The Covid-19 disease affects the whole country but some regions are more affected than others... In fact, the most vulnerable social groups, especially rural women, are even more vulnerable. The Covid 19 pandemic and the decline in economic activities will accentuate the poverty of parents who get angry over a yes or no and pour their anger on the woman or the child. it is within this framework that ADF-SVF Switzerland and DFR Germany have shown their solidarity towards twenty vulnerable women by a donation with the aim of helping them to resist the crisis by providing the means to block the contamination channels; hand washing device, masks, soap, food kits..." read the whole report.

Goma Devi Bastola, President of RUWON

"With the partnership of the two IAW affiliate organizations  RUWON Nepal recently carried out a very meaningful food distribution project in the Kathmandu district. The target of the project were women with babies and also girl-students who are totally dependent on their family. The families themselves are also dependent on the income of their daily work. But due to the lock-down they cannot go to the work.

With this support we have provided 15 kg rice, 2 kg lentils, 2 kg peas, 1 litre oil, 1 kg salt and 1 kg soybean to 15 women in Kathmandu...." read the whole report.

Ms KAH Quinta BEI Executive Secretary of RENATA:

 "In the context of the global pandemic, RENATA in partnership with Deutscher Frauenring DFR and Associations Suisse pour les droits des femmes ADF-SVF (two organizations affiliated to the International Alliance of Women IAW) conducted five days of activities against the Covid-19 virus by manufacturing and distributing prevention materials (hydro alcoholic gels, and protective masks) in the public community. The focus was on sensitization targets for adolescent girls and women. Three sites were contacted, namely Oman locality, Febe village and Nkolngoan. We started the activities during two days with the manufacture of prevention materials (hydro alcoholic gel and masks) under the leadership of the RENATA Executive Secretary...." read the whole report.

Anuarite Siirewabo, coordinator of SOFEDEC:

"We are doing a public awareness campaign.
We produce the material locally at the request of the Ministry of Health and our partners the SOS Children's Village (orphaned children and SOS workers) at Bukavu. We are carefully producing protective masks according to the official requirements. I am distributing some of  them locally, but the big lot is taken in charge by official ministerial agencies... During the awareness-raising campaign many women say 'Let's learn to live with Covid-19!" Read more about the present critical situation - the analysis by SOFEDEC

Anne Pelagie Yotchou, coordinator of CEFAP:
"...Our organization in collaboration with a youth association Global Youth Action has been mobilizing for many weeks. It's really terrible...Here is our poster prepared for awareness on COVID-19, symptoms, barrier gestures and other useful information such as encouraging people to go to the hospital at the first signs, because we have a lot of deaths here due to self-medication. People who experience just one of the symptoms do not go to the hospital for fear of being tested positive and being put in quarantine or under a treatment in confinement...." CEFAP hasalso  produced hydro alcoholic disnifectants, created  colourful protective masks and has also travelled to remote rural areas  forCovid-19  awareness campaigns.

Rural Women's Network Nepal RUWON could implement this very meaningful and interesting project...The girls who have reached the age of menstruation were provided with an ecological sanitary kit and the educational booklet “ABC’s of being a Girl”...We have provided sanitary kits to 195 girls and school notebooks to all together 470 students of the school, and we distributed the booklets for the girls and boys "Entering Womanhood”. Read the whole report here.
Photo: Goma Bastola RUWON president explains the project.

Tendai Marongwe and Chipo Phiri,

speakers for the girls

Getting our dignity back

The girls were concerned about the mostly young girls attending high school for the first time. Although the times are changing it is generally taboo in most homes, especially in rural areas, to speak about the issues related to menstruation. The girls expressed gratitude to the International Alliance of Women for providing oral guidance reinforced by the booklets with informative details about menstruation - read all here.

Classance Petro,
Deputy Head Boys

Menstruation & Menstrual Hygiene Management

Sanitary pads are more important to girls’ health because menstruation is a natural phenomenon. It is very essential for us as males to make sure that every girl is supplied with sanitary pads. Availability should be free to prevent the use of rugs infected bacteria which will result in avoidable health complications. It is important for the boys to support girls as their school mates or siblings during the menstrual periods and assist by buying pads...read all here.