Words by Joe Baaklini, IFRC Communications Officer

When disaster strikes, people are affected in different ways. While shelter, food and water are basic needs for nearly everyone during an emergency, women and girls often find themselves in a particularly vulnerable situation.

Often, they find themselves with no access to very essential products that are critical in maintaining their health and well-being: menstrual hygiene supplies.

This was the predicament that women and girls in Morocco found themselves in when a 6.8-magnitutde earthquake left a trail of destruction in its wake on September 8, 2023.

In the Moroccan village of Ait Youssef, for example, disposable pads were running out, and relying solely on the already strained supply chain wasn't a sustainable solution.

To understand the situation and adapt the response to the specific needs of the community, the Moroccan Red Crescent Society (MRCS), supported by the IFRC, decided to talk to the women of Ait Youssef. 

Together for a #PeriodFriendlyWorld

It’s a perfect example of the kind of community work being celebrated on World Menstrual Health Day, which this year carries the theme Together for a #PeriodFriendlyWorld. Two of the key goals is to break down the stigmas and taboos that exist around issues of menstrual health and to ensure that women have access to the products they need. 

Through focus group discussions, the Red Crescent volunteers discovered that most women in the village used to rely on pads distributed by the MRCS, but some resorted to using old cotton sheets as supplies dwindled.

Thus, an innovative plan was hatched: introducing reusable, washable menstrual pads as a sustainable, eco-friendly and cost-effective solution for menstrual hygiene management.

Women sew their own sanitary pads by hand in a workshop organized by the Moroccan Red Crescent and the IFRC.

Photo: IFRC

However, producing the reusable pads was no easy feat, as finding the right materials proved challenging. Travelling hundreds of kilometers in search of suitable fabrics, MRCS teams eventually procured the essentials: cotton sheets for comfort, absorbent materials to trap flow, and waterproof fabric to prevent leaks. 

The teams even had to get a little creative: the waterproof fabric that they found at first was typically used as the covering for sofas, so it was a bit to thick and rigid. So they found and procured thinner, more comfortable variants.

With needles, thread, scissors, and pins in hand, IFRC and MRCS staff and volunteers gathered the women of Ait Youssef for a sewing session. The women, with their existing experience, skills and knowledge, proved to be quick learners. Within two short hours, a batch of reusable pads was complete. 

“The introduction of reusable pads has provided women with a sustainable and cost-effective menstrual hygiene solution,” said Rihab Abou Kalfouni, IFRC Hygiene Promotion Delegate, who worked closely with the women on the project.  

“We have received positive feedback from a few of the women who have used the pads,” she said. “They reported increased comfort, improved overall well-being in addition to a reduced amount of waste generated by disposable pads.” 

“Hopefully, we’ll be able to expand this project in the future and include more women in different communities.”

A Moroccan Red Crescent volunteer talks to a dozen women from the village of Ait Youssef about the process of making their own menstrual hygiene products.

Photo: IFRC

Together for a #PeriodFriendlyWorld

The collaboration between the Moroccan Red Crescent Society, the IFRC, and the women of Ait Youssef stands as a testament to the power of localization and community-driven solutions. It’s also a strong example of the ways in which the theme of World Menstrual Hygiene Day 2024 —  Together for a #PeriodFriendlyWorld— is being realized on a daily basis by communities, local Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies and other partners. In a #PeriodFriendlyWorld, the stigma and taboo surrounding menstruation are history and everyone can access the products, education and infrastructure they need.

In the courtyard of a local school, South Sudan Red Cross volunteer Esther Sevilla stands before several dozen students, holds up a sanitary pad and asks ‘Do you know what this is?’

Photo: Tomas Ärlemo

‘Now I feel free … I can go to school’

In South Sudan, for example, the South Sudan Red Cross (with support from the Swedish Red Cross), is helping to increase access to sanitary supplies, reduce the stigmas and taboos around menstruation and provide access to clean water for washing and other household use.

Malagasy Red Cross volunteer Valisoa Liesse Razafisalama leads a discussion aimed at helping all community members understand normal and critical physical processes such as menstruation, which often gets overlooked in the response following emergencies.

Photo: Malagasy Red Cross Society

Not just a women’s issue

In Madagascar, 23-year-old Red Cross volunteer, Valisoa Liesse Razafisalama, has been leading an initiative to challenge societal norms surrounding menstruation. In many post disaster situations, fear of talking about menstruation or other health issues can mean that women do not get the attention, care and supplies they need to stay healthy. Valisoa has organised awareness sessions for both men and women, emphasising the natural and normal aspects of menstruation. 

“We encourage the equitable inclusion of women in community decision-making, breaking with the trend of prioritizing men,” she says. “We persist in our efforts because as women volunteers, we make significant contributions to the well-being of the communities where we operate.”  

Ensuring privacy and dignity

Menstrual health is also critical in situations where people live in camps or temporary shelters where access to sanitary facilities — public bathrooms and washing areas — are often not adequately private or protected for women and girls.

In the massive Cox’s Bazaar in Bangladesh, where more than one million people live in makeshift shelters without running water or electricity, the Bangladesh Red Crescent (BDRCS) provides water and sanitation services to thousands of people. 

To ensure those places are as private, safe and comfortable for women as possible, BDRCS water and sanitation teams regularly meet with communities and listen to women’s concerns. Recently, they constructed additional privacy walls around washrooms to enhance privacy and comfort for women and girls.

With support form the Swedish Red Cross, the BDRCS also regularly distributes sanitary napkins to female community volunteers who spend long hours working in the camp, where access feminine hygiene products is very limited.

Learn more more about Menstrual Hygiene and the IFRC network’s response around the world:

• Discover even more case studies from our National Societies’ MHM activities in this collection
• Explore our wealth of practical guidance, tools and advocacy resources on menstrual hygiene on our dedicated WASH site here
• Visit the dedicated WASH page on the IFRC website
• Visit the global Menstrual Hygiene Day campaign page for more information about this year’s theme
• Contact our Senior Officer for WASH in Public Health, Alexandra Machado, for any MHM-related questions: [email protected]

*We recognize that not everyone who menstruates identifies as a woman, and that not all women menstruate.