Breaking The Silence: Boys are Menstrual Hygiene Management Champions
In a bid to improve knowledge about SRHR and promoting access to services for in-school adolescent girls and boys aged 13-19 years in Tanga Region through the Kijana Jitambue project, adolescents are trained on gender transformative sexual education, life skills, sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) prevention and response using the approved Ujana Salama training package.
As one of the direct beneficiaries of the project, Said Mkomwa (17-years old) has been transferred from another school to Mazinde Day Secondary School.
During his time at his former school, Said was known as a quiet boy who was not interested in socialising with his peers, especially girls. He had his reasons for that.
He says, “I found it difficult and very uncomfortable to talk about menstruation because, I grew up knowing that is something only girls should know about and, as a boy, I have nothing to do about it.”
As a new student in Mazinde Day, Said had a chance to be directly reached by the Kijana Jitambue project and received training and teacher’s mentorship from his teacher on module one (Who Am I?) before proceeding with modules on puberty, menstrual hygiene management (MHM) and life skills.
Although Said has been at Mazinde Day Secondary School for only a few months, his ability to confidently speak in front of his colleagues and being articulate enough to catch the attention of his audience, he has been selected among the 10 Fema Club champions from Mazinde Day who are working with their trained teachers in cascading knowledge to their fellow students.
From a shy and isolated boy to an empathetic and understanding boy who believes, “by sharing knowledge, initiating conversations and providing support to both boys and girls, collectively societies can create a conducive environment where every person feels comfortable to talk about menstruation, irrespective of their sexual-orientations, taboos, beliefs, norms and values.”
“Being part of the Kijana Jitambue project has helped me to break the silence and set me free from my discomfort. I now feel empowered and knowledgeable enough to speak about menstrual health and hygiene. Seeing my younger sister experiencing menstruation for the very first time in her life, made me realise the importance of being there for her. I provided her with information and made sure that she can navigate around her menstrual stage without any challenges. I now understand that menstruation is a natural process that should be openly discussed without any sense of stigmatisation or shame, and it is important for boys to be equipped with MHM knowledge for us to continue sharing this knowledge and changing the narrative around MHM in our communities where boys are neglected when it comes to puberty education.”