Tools and Resources For Task Teams

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WATER GLOBAL PRACTICE
Menstrual Health and
Tools and Resources for Task Teams

Hygiene Resource Package
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Menstrual Health and
Hygiene Resource Package
Tools and Resources for Task Teams
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Contents
Acknowledgments v
Abbreviations vii
Overview 1
Tool 1: Fact Sheet on Menstrual Health and Hygiene 3

What Is MHM and MHH? 3
Why Does MHH Matter? 3
Attention to MHH Matters on Many Levels 3
Educational Impacts of Inadequate MHH 5
Sexual and Reproductive Health Impacts of Inadequate MHH 6
Economic Impacts of Inadequate MHH 7
Environmental Impacts of Inadequate MHH 7
Way Forward 8
Tool 2: Checklists 9
I. Checklist for Assessing Menstrual Health and Hygiene Gaps and Needs 9
II. Checklist on Design Features for Inclusive Sanitation Facilities 12
III. Checklist for Social and Behavior Change Communication on Menstrual Health and Hygiene 16
IV. Checklist for Working with Social Enterprises to Improve Access to Menstrual Products 19
V. Checklist for Menstrual Waste Management 23
Tool 3: Tackling Affordability, Accessibility, and Safety of Menstrual Products through

Policies and Regulations 25
Context of “Period Poverty” 25
Policy Interventions 25
World Bank Group Instruments for Policy Reforms 28
Tool 4: Examples of Construction Plans for Female-Friendly Sanitation Facilities 29
Tool 5: Measuring Results on Menstrual Health and Hygiene 33

Objectives and Limitations of the Indicator Chart 33
Menstrual Health and Hygiene Resource Package iii

Tool 6: Generic Terms of Reference: Menstrual Health and Hygiene Consultancy 39
Background: Why Menstrual Health and Hygiene Matters to Water Projects 40
Objectives of the MHH assessment 41
Scope of Work 41
Deliverables 48
Contract Administration 48
Tool 7: Annotated List of Menstrual Health and Hygiene Resources 51
References55
Boxes
1.1. The Impacts of COVID-19 on Menstrual Health and Hygiene 4
2.1. Lessons Learned from Communication Campaign Experience 18
3.1. Examples of Countries with Tax Policy Reforms 27
6.1. What Is Menstrual Health and Hygiene? 40
6.2. Global Monitoring Tools Related to MHH 42
Figures
4.1. Interior View of Cubicle 29
4.2. Layout of Female-Friendly Sanitation Facility 30
4.3. Female-Friendly Toilet Floor Plan with Connection to Incinerator 31
4.4. Menstrual Health and Hygiene Waste Disposal System 32
Table
5.1. Sample Indicators to Address MHH 33
iv Menstrual Health and Hygiene Resource Package

Acknowledgments
The Water Global Practice prepared this resource package in collaboration with the Gender Group, the
Education Global Practice, and the Finance, Competitiveness and Innovation Global Practice and bene-
fited from insightful comments from World Bank and WaterAid peer reviewers.
The resource package was developed by Gaia Hatzfeldt and Mari Clark, with guidance from Kamila
Galeza, Soma Ghosh, Sarah Keener, Toyoko Kodama and Gloria Kuoh. Early input to the package was
provided by Sanyu Lutalo, Claire Chase, Odete Muximpua, and Rebecca Gilsdorf. Peer reviewers
included Chelsea Huggett (WaterAid); Caren Grown, Cindy Suh, and Azada Hussaini (Gender Group);
Elaine Tinsley (Finance, Competitiveness and Innovation Global Practice); and Christian Borja-Vega,
Ruth Kennedy-Walker and Lizmara Kirchner (Water Global Practice).
Menstrual Health and Hygiene Resource Package v

Abbreviations
DPF Development Policy Financing
HCD human-centered design
HCF health care facility
JMP Joint Monitoring Programme
KAP knowledge, attitudes, and practice
MHH menstrual health and hygiene
MHM menstrual hygiene management
MICS Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey
NGO nongovernmental organization
P4R Program for Results
PMA2020 Performance Monitoring and Accountability 2020
SBCC social and behavior change communication
SHE Sustainable Health Enterprises
SMART specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound
SME small and medium-sized enterprise
TOR terms of reference
UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund
VAT value-added tax
WASH water supply, sanitation, and hygiene
WHO World Health Organization
Menstrual Health and Hygiene Resource Package vii

Overview
The purpose of this resource package is to assist World Bank task teams in ensuring that their projects
are inclusive and responsive to the needs of women and girls.1 The tools included in this package are
practical and user-friendly and guide task teams on how to design and monitor effective, inclusive, and
sustainable menstrual health and hygiene (MHH) initiatives as part of their water supply, sanitation,
and hygiene (WASH) interventions. The tools are designed mainly for WASH interventions in schools
and health care facilities (HCFs) but can also be adapted for projects in other public spaces, such as mar-
kets and public locations with WASH facilities. The tools draw from good practice examples in leading
development agencies handbooks, guidelines, and case studies. The resource package is a living docu-
ment that will be continually updated based on evolving needs and feedback.
The tools included in the resource package are as follows:
1. Fact Sheet on Menstrual Health and Hygiene defines the term menstrual hygiene management (MHM)
and the broader concept of menstrual health and hygiene and explains why it matters for education,
health, and economic development outcomes, each of which affects the well-being, opportunities,
and choices for girls and women. Actions needed for an enabling environment for MHH are noted.
2. Checklists
i. Checklist for Assessing Menstrual Health and Hygiene Gaps and Needs provides key questions to ask
to assess the current status of MHH in the project area, particularly focusing on policies, stakehold-
ers, school programs, and health care facilities. It also provides questions to understand the socio-
cultural beliefs and practices and the underlying gender stereotypes and gaps that affect MHH.
ii. Checklist on Design Features for Inclusive Sanitation Facilities briefly highlights key questions to ask
when designing female-friendly water supply, sanitation, and hygiene infrastructure in public
places, schools, and HCFs, including early engagement with users on their needs and priorities.2
iii. Checklist for Behavior Change Communication on Menstrual Health and Hygiene defines social and
behavior change communication (SBCC) and provides key questions to ask in developing SBCC
activities and campaigns to promote MHH.
iv. Checklist for Working with Social Enterprises to Improve Access to Menstrual Products provides key
questions to ask when partnering with social enterprises in efforts to improve access to menstrual
products for women and girls.
v. Checklist for Menstrual Waste Management lists key questions to ask when assessing menstrual
waste disposal and collection mechanisms, understand sector governance and institutional capac-
ity, and ensure infrastructure functionality and staff training.
3. Tool on Policies and Regulations includes a list of entry points on how to affect change at the policy
level to ensure that menstrual products are affordable, accessible, and safe. It discusses some of the
World Bank instruments available to teams to affect change at the policy level.
4. Examples of Construction Plans for Female-Friendly Sanitation Facilities provides examples of floor
plans and construction views of WASH facilities that meet MHH requirements and a plan for a toilet
Menstrual Health and Hygiene Resource Package 1

connected to a waste incinerator and an incineration system plan. This tool also lists resources for
additional plans and designs.
5. Measuring Results in Menstrual Health and Hygiene includes a chart with examples of indicators for
project results frameworks, covering aspects such as water and sanitation infrastructure, access to
menstrual products, educational outcomes, health outcomes, and behavior and attitude changes.
It also includes definitions for their measurement, as well as data sources and collection methods.
6. Generic Terms of Reference for Menstrual Health and Hygiene Consultancy. This terms of reference
(TOR) has been developed to assess the menstrual health and hygiene needs in a given project area.
The scope of work included in the TOR covers a desk review of existing resources and initiatives,
assessment of gaps in provisions in schools and HCFs, conducting a gender-sensitive needs assess-
ment, and recommendations for entry points.
7. Annotated List of Menstrual Health and Hygiene Resources, including tools, manuals, and guidance, as
developed by leading organizations in the field of MHH. The annotated list describes the highlights of
the topics covered and the intended users for each resource.
Notes
1. Following UNICEF (2019a) throughout this resource guide, the terms girls and women are used to represent all menstruators regardless of
gender identity, including transgender and nonbinary persons who have menstrual health and hygiene needs.
2. This resource guide uses the term female-friendly facilities to refer to sanitary facilities that meet the needs of menstrual health and
hygiene. It does so following a study by WaterAid, WSUP, and UNICEF (2018).
2 Menstrual Health and Hygiene Resource Package

Tool 1
Fact Sheet on Menstrual Health and Hygiene
What Is MHM and MHH?
Menstrual hygiene management (MHM) is widely defined as: “Women and adolescent girls are using a
clean menstrual management material to absorb or collect menstrual blood, that can be changed in
privacy as often as necessary, using soap and water for washing the body as required, and having access
to safe and convenient facilities to dispose of used menstrual management materials. They understand
the basic facts linked to the menstrual cycle and how to manage it with dignity and without discomfort
or fear” (WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme 2012). Menstrual health and hygiene (MHH)
expands this definition to include the broader systemic factors that link menstruation with health,
well-being, gender equality, education, equity, empowerment, and rights. These systematic factors
include accurate and timely knowledge about menstruation, hygiene, and health; available, safe, and
affordable materials; sanitation and washing facilities; safe and hygienic disposal; informed health and
education professionals; referral and access to health services; positive social norms; and MHH advo-
cacy and policy (UNICEF 2019a). MHH is a cross-sectoral issue that is most effectively addressed
through collaboration among officials and practitioners in water supply, sanitation, and hygiene
(WASH), education, public health, sexual and reproductive health and rights, urban development, and
the private sector. To capture the cross-cutting issues of menstruation, this resource package uses the
term MHH.
Why Does MHH Matter?

Menstruation is a normal and healthy part of life for most girls and women. It is inextricably tied to
the reproductive process, with changing effects and needs throughout the life cycle, including post-
partum and menopausal challenges. More than 300 million women between the ages of 15 and 49 are
menstruating on any given day (WaterAid, Unilever Domestos, and WSSCC 2013). As normal as men-
struation is, around the world it continues to be stigmatized and associated with dirtiness and impu-
rity. The experience of menstruating girls and women is constrained by cultural taboos and
discriminatory social norms. The resulting lack of information about menstruation creates miscon-
ceptions and negative attitudes, which motivate, among others, shaming, bullying, and even gen-
der-based violence. It also results in unhealthy menstrual practices and restrictions on social,
religious, and familial interaction, such as cooking and eating with family members. These negative
experiences associated with menstruation cause distress, shame, and diminished self-esteem
(Hennegan et al. 2019).
Attention to MHH Matters on Many Levels

•• It matters for education. Schools that have female-friendly facilities and incorporate information on
menstruation into the curriculum for both girls and boys can reduce stigma associated with

menstruation, contribute to better education and health outcomes, have better attendance and reten-
tion, and promote gender equality.
•• It matters for sexual and reproductive health. When girls and women have access to safe and affordable
sanitary materials to manage their menstruation, they decrease their risk of infections. This can have
cascading effects on overall sexual and reproductive health, including reducing teen pregnancy,
maternal outcomes, and fertility.
•• It matters for the empowerment of women and girls. It is widely recognized that promoting menstrual
health and hygiene is not only about improving sanitation and health, but it is also an important
means for safeguarding women’s dignity, privacy, bodily integrity, and, consequently, their self-
efficacy. Awareness of MHH contributes to building an enabling environment of nondiscrimination
and gender equality in which female voices are heard, girls have choices about their future, and
women have options to become leaders and managers.
•• It matters to boys and men. To break the silence regarding menstrual hygiene, boys and men also need
to understand MHH and start talking about periods as a normal aspect of reproduction and the
changes in menstruation over the female life cycle.
•• It matters for the economy. Improving menstrual hygiene and providing access to affordable men-
strual materials can help improve girls’ and women’s access to education, opening more options for
jobs, promotions, and entrepreneurship, thus unleashing female contributions to the overall econ-
omy, rather than keeping them at home. Feminine hygiene products are a multibillion-dollar indus-
try, which, if properly tapped into, can generate income for many and significantly boost economic
growth.
•• It matters for the environment. Disposable sanitary products contribute to large amounts of global
waste. Ensuring women and girls have access to sustainable and quality products, and improving
the management of the disposal of menstrual products, can make a big difference to the
environment.
BOX 1.1. The Impacts of COVID-19 on Menstrual Health and Hygiene
The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting MHH worldwide. Many utilities are overburdened and
understaffed because of high demands for water, causing disruptions in the supply of safe
water and making it difficult for women and girls to manage hygiene during their periods. In
some countries, schools are the main source for girls to access sanitary material, information,
and support groups on how to safely manage their periods. Closures of schools and health
care facilities deprive girls of crucial MHH resources. Many women health workers are
on the front lines of treatment for COVID-19 but lack basic MHH facilities in their clinics
(UNICEF 2020).

In the following we will look at some facts on the multiple impacts of inadequate MHH, including on
educational attainments, on sexual and reproductive health, and on economic and environmental con-
cerns. While the list of facts is by no means comprehensive, it gives an indication of the scale of the
problem and of the need to take action.
Educational Impacts of Inadequate MHH

• Half of the schools in low-income countries lack adequate drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene crucial
to enable girls and female teachers to manage menstruation (UNICEF 2015). Although evidence is scarce,
some data show that inadequate sanitary facilities affects girls’ experiences at school, causing them to
miss school during their menstruation or even drop out.
• A meta-analysis on the status of menstrual hygiene among adolescent girls in India found that
a quarter of the girls did not attend school during menstruation because of the lack of adequate
toilets (Van Eijk et al. 2016).
• In South Sudan, 57 percent of surveyed adolescent girls reported staying home during menstruation
because of the lack of private changing rooms in school (Tamiru et al. 2015).
• A study in Kenya found that 95 percent of menstruating girls missed one to three school days,
70 percent reported a negative impact on their grades, and more than 50 percent stated falling
behind in school because of menstruation (Mucherah and Thomas 2017).
• Conversely, improved access to sanitation facilities in schools has been linked to higher rates of
school completion in Brazil (Ortiz-Correa, Resende Filho, and Dinar 2016) and India (Adukia 2017).
A holistic approach to MHH in Ghana that provided reusable sanitary pads and education on
menstruation reduced girls’ perception of difficulty of attending school from 47 percent to 10
percent (Global Communities and USAID 2020).
• Many girls and boys do not know that menstruation is a normal biological process. Girls often do not have
this information when they start to menstruate. This diminishes their confidence and self-esteem and can
cause fear and distress.
• A survey in Bangladesh found that only 6 percent of schools provide education on health and
hygiene, and only 36 percent of girls had prior knowledge about menstruation before their first
period (World Bank 2017c).
• In India, only half of adolescent schoolgirls considered menstruation “normal;” 70 percent of girls
reported having no idea what was happening to them when they started their first period (UNICEF
2016; Van Eijk et al. 2016; WSSCC 2013).
• Discriminatory social norms, cultural taboos, and stigma associated with menstruation can lead girls to
follow unsafe practices.
• A study in Egypt found many schoolgirls reporting that they do not bathe during their menstruation
because it is considered a social taboo to come in contact with water during the menstrual cycle (El-
Gilany, Badawi, and El-Fedawy 2005).
• A study in Nepal found that many girls were forced to stay in a hut or slept in the fields during their
period even though the government had decreed this practice illegal (Thompson et al. 2019).

• To encourage communities to reduce stigma surrounding menstruation and promote hygiene
behavior change at school and in the local community, UNICEF Afghanistan supported development
of MHH guidelines and resources for teachers. These included storybooks for adolescent girls and
boys, audiobooks for low-literacy girls and women, a speech by a high-level Islamic scholar, and a
note addressed to men (UNICEF 2019a).
• In many countries around the world, schoolgirls do not have access to adequate sanitary protection mate-
rials. They are embarrassed about the potential “leaking” of blood when inadequate protective materials
are used. Some girls resort to transactional sex so they can purchase sanitary pads (Hennegan et al. 2019). In
emergency situations, such as natural disasters, conflict, and pandemics, such as COVID-19, many women
and girls do not have access to materials to manage their menstruation or WASH facilities for menstrual
hygiene (Budhathokim et al. 2018; UNICEF 2016; VanLeeuwen and Torondel 2018).
• A survey of 62 primary schools in rural western Kenya found that only 10 percent of schools
reported always providing sanitary pads to girls, despite the government’s sanitary towels
program. Disposal arrangements for used sanitary pads were not adequate in most schools
(Alexander et al. 2014).
• A sanitary pad intervention in Ghana found that after six months of free sanitary pad provision and
puberty education programming, girls missed significantly less school (Montgomery et al. 2012).
• The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies employed a user-centered
process to develop a relief kit-based approach to meet the menstrual hygiene needs of women and
girls in emergencies. In consultation with women in Burundi, they developed and tested two kits—
one containing disposable pads and the other reusable pads. Kits also included underwear, soap, a
bucket, and educational materials (Robinson with Obrecht 2016; WaterAid 2012).
Sexual and Reproductive Health Impacts of Inadequate MHH

• Poor menstrual hygiene, for instance, using the same sanitary product for too long or not washing the
genitals regularly, can pose serious health risks. It can lead to reproductive and urinary tract infections,
which can result in future infertility and birth complications. Poor menstrual hygiene can exacerbate com-
plications from genital cutting.
• Not washing hands after changing menstrual products can spread infections, such as hepatitis B
and thrush (WaterAid 2012).

• Studies have found that giving out sanitary pads to girls leads to a significant reduction in sexually
transmitted infections and bacterial vaginosis and can reduce the rate of school dropout (Benshaul-
Tolonen et al. 2019; Phillips-Howard et al. 2016).
• The lack of means for hygienic management of menstruation can cause discomfort and psychological
stress and adds to the shame and sometimes depression that women and girls experience because of
menstruation-related taboos and stigma (Sweetman and Medland 2017).
• In some places, where access to menstrual products is scarce, girls are forced to trade sex in exchange for
sanitary pads.

• A randomized control trial in Kenya found that 10 percent of girls age 15 self-reported having
transactional sex to be able to get hold of sanitary pads (out of a study of 9,000 girls) (Phillips-
Howard et al. 2015).
Economic Impacts of Inadequate MHH

• In most societies around the world, women and girls face many more restrictions and rules affecting their
access to public spaces and participation in economic activities than their male counterparts.
• Girls who drop out of school have limited employment opportunities and often marry early and begin
bearing children, further reducing their options for earning income.
• Women who lack female-friendly sanitation facilities in the workplace lose wages for days of work missed
during menstruation and are viewed as unreliable workers, diminishing options for advancement.
• Because of financial constraints or limited markets, many girls and women are unable to access adequate
menstrual products. There is a huge untapped market for affordable and sustainable sanitary products.
Particularly programs to foster female entrepreneurs in production and marketing of sanitary pads pro-
vide income for women and affordable access to MHH materials for women and girls (WaterAid 2012;
World Bank 2017a).
• In the early 2010s, the feminine hygiene products market brought in about USD 2 billion in the
United States alone. In India, where hundreds of millions of women and girls still lack access to
adequate sanitary products, the feminine hygiene product already exceeded $150 million around
the same period. On a global scale, market research forecasts that this market will reach $42.7
billion by 2022 (Allied Market Research 2016; Jacob, Khanna, and Yadav 2014; Nicole 2014).
• Sustainable Health Enterprises (SHE)—a social enterprise in Rwanda focused on menstrual
hygiene—has partnered with the Rwandan government to advocate for expanded budgets, push
for the elimination of value-added tax on MHM products, and support media programming that
addresses menstrual taboos. For every woman-led business that SHE invests in, approximately
100 jobs are created and approximately 100,000 girls and women have access to affordable pads
(WaterAid 2012).
Environmental Impacts of Inadequate MHH

• Worldwide millions of menstruating women and girls use and dispose of sanitary products and thereby
contribute to the rapidly increasing global waste.
• Every year, an average woman trashes about 150 kilograms of nonbiodegradable waste. In India
alone, roughly 121 million women and girls use an average of eight disposable and non-compostable
pads per month, generating 1.021 billion pads waste monthly, 12.3 billion pads waste annually, and
113, 000 metric tons of annual menstrual waste (Bhor and Ponkshe 2018; PATH 2017).

Way Forward
MHH is a multisectoral issue, cutting across water and sanitation, education, health, reproductive
health and reproductive rights, urban development, and the private sector, among other. Creating an
enabling environment for women and girls to manage their menstruation in privacy and with dignity
requires partnerships and collaborative efforts among different sectors and actors, including policy
makers, educators, public health practitioners, and international and local organizations. Depending on
the context and the specific needs, efforts need to focus on some of the following potential entry points:
• Fostering support from government, nongovernmental, and religious leaders at all levels
• Promoting inclusion of MHH within national WASH, health, education, and other relevant policies
and strategies
• Addressing the culture of “silence” and exposing myths and taboos associated with menstruation
by involving boys, men, and the wider community through raising awareness, community
participation, and integrating MHH into schools (UNICEF 2016; WHO 2019)
• Applying human-centered design that places women and girls actively in the center of the facility
design and sanitary materials choices

• Ensuring that the water system, water quality and quantity, and the solid waste management
system can support WASH with MHH

• Requiring that WASH infrastructure meet basic requirements for MHH safety, privacy, and dignity
(separate, clean male and female toilet facilities, toilet cubicles with doors and interior locks,
lighting, clean water and soap, bins for disposing soiled menstrual materials, and clean water and
soap for washing hands and body after changing sanitary pads)
• Integrating MHH into basic and in-service teacher training and the school curriculum in biology,
reproductive health (Punzi and Heckstra 2019), life skills, and other relevant courses
• Training health workers to provide advice and support on good MHH practices
• Providing psychosocial support for menstruating girls in schools and HCFs
• Promoting market development to increase access to affordable sanitary pads
• Supporting programs for local women entrepreneurs producing and distributing affordable pads
and leveraging private sector support

Tool 2
Checklists
I. Checklist for Assessing Menstrual Health and Hygiene Gaps and Needs
Purpose and Limitations of the Checklist

This checklist provides a sample of key questions for task teams to ask when assessing the current
status of menstrual health and hygiene (MHH). This includes assessing the MHH-related policies,
stakeholders, school programs, and health care facilities (HCFs) in the project area; the sociocultural
beliefs and practices; and underlying gender stereotypes and gaps affecting MHH. This information is
needed to identify the MHH aspects of the broader development problem in the project theory of
change and to develop effective actions to address MHH gaps and issues. This analysis also helps
identify data gaps in which additional data collection is needed to inform the project design and pro-
vide a baseline for monitoring and evaluation of MHH actions. It will be important for teams to adjust
these questions to fit the country context and project objectives and scope. Not all the questions need
to be asked. The team can be as selective as needed. A more detailed discussion of MHH gap and needs
assessment is incorporated in the Generic Terms of Reference for Menstrual Health and Hygiene
Consultancy (see Tool 6).
What Is the Current Policy and Institutional Enabling Environment for MHH?
•• How is MHH addressed in any national health; water supply, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH);
education; labor; gender; or other policies, regulations, or design specifications?
•• Which national institutions have roles and responsibilities related to MHH? Are the roles and
responsibilities clearly defined? Is there coordination among these agencies?
Who Are the MHH Stakeholders? What MHH Actions Are They Supporting?
•• National-level sectoral and other agencies (for example, ministries of health, water/infrastructure,
education, and labor)
•• International nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) (for example, Oxfam, Save the Children, and
WaterAid)
•• Other donors (for example, United Nations Children’s Fund and UN Women)
•• National NGOs
•• Community-based organizations (for example, women’s networks or women’s unions)
•• Girls’ networks and media platforms (for example, Girl Up)
•• Water and sanitation service providers
•• Is there any coordination among these stakeholders on MHH? What are the coordination
mechanisms?

What Is Known about the Sociocultural Context Affecting MHH?
•• What taboos, practices, and beliefs are associated with menstruation?
•• Is there stigma, bullying, and shaming of females during menstruation?
•• Are there underlying economic, educational, and other gender gaps affecting MHH?
What Is the Status of MHH Provisions in School and HCF Sanitation Facilities?
•• Do toilet and handwashing facilities meet the minimum MHH requirements? (See Checklist on Design
Features for Female-Friendly Sanitation Facilities)
•• Is there a management plan for disposal of menstrual waste in a culturally appropriate manner?
(See Checklist on Menstrual Waste Management)
Are Menstrual Sanitary Materials Available and Affordable in the Project Area?
•• What types of menstrual materials are available (for example, disposable, reusable,
homemade, or purchased)?
•• Where are sanitary pads available for purchase (for example, in the local market, through distribution
networks)?
•• Are sanitary pads available in schools and HCFs?
•• Are there any local women entrepreneurs producing and marketing sanitary materials? If not, is
there scope for this type of production in the project area?
Are There Any Ongoing MHH Awareness-Raising or Behavioral Change Activities?

•• Who are the target groups for each of these activities? (See Checklist on Behavior Change
Communication)
•• What behavior change messages are they using?
•• What kinds of activities are they carrying out?
•• Are they actively engaging community members or simply transmitting information?
Is MHH Incorporated in the School Curriculum for the Project Area?

•• If yes, where is it incorporated (for example, biology or life skills)?
•• Is it part of a national curriculum that integrates MHH?
•• Are teachers trained in MHH?
•• Are there supervised or mentored health, girls, or other clubs in which girls and boys can
discuss MHH?
Is MHH Counseling and Outreach Provided by HCFs in the Project Area?

•• Are health workers trained on MHH counseling and community outreach?
•• How many women and girls receive MHH counseling in each HCF?

What Are the MHH Perceptions and Needs of Women and Girls in the Project Area?
Unless such a qualitative study has already been conducted in the past five years, answering this question
will require data collection. It will be important to recognize sensitivity about discussing menstruation.
It is essential to ensure that questions asked are culturally appropriate and data collection is done
through private interviews by same-sex interviewers, single-sex focus groups, and/or knowledge/attitude/
perception surveys. Possible questions include:
•• What is the current experience of girls and women using WASH facilities in schools, HCFs, or other
public spaces included in the proposed project? What difficulties do they face?
•• Are menstrual sanitary materials available? Can they afford them? If not, how do they manage their
periods? What type of materials do they use? Are they satisfied with the sanitary materials they are
using? What are they willing to pay for these materials?
•• Do they miss school, work, or other important activities during their menstrual periods?
•• Do their menstrual periods affect their concentration and activities at school or at work?
•• What social norms, taboos, and beliefs are associated with menstruation?
•• How do these norms affect their actions and self-esteem during menstruation?
•• Have they experienced shaming or bullying during their menstruation? How does that affect them
emotionally and physically?
•• Do they understand why they menstruate monthly? What do they know about the process of men-
struation and reproduction?
•• What do they know about necessary cleanliness during their menstrual periods? How often do they
change pads? How do they clean reusable pads? Do they wash their body and hands with soap and
water after changing pads or other menstrual materials?
•• What do they suggest is needed to improve the quality of their lives during menstruation?

II. Checklist on Design Features for Inclusive Sanitation Facilities
Purpose and Limitations of the Checklist
This checklist is for design features for female-friendly and accessible sanitation facilities in public
places, schools, and HCFs. This checklist is not intended to replace country-specific design stan-
dards and specifications. Its purpose is to help designers think through ways of making facilities as
female-friendly as possible. Not all measures will be possible in all contexts, but they may be useful
to consider. Local considerations are critical, so adequate consultations should be undertaken to
modify these questions as needed based on the local context and needs. This checklist focuses
mainly on design features for menstrual health and hygiene but also includes some features on
accessible design. There are several resources available on accessible design specifications to help
ensure that the infrastructure is inclusive of all members of a community, including people with
disabilities and the elderly (Columbia University and IRC 2017; Save the Children 2015; UNAPD
2010; WaterAid 2019; World Bank 2017b). Tool four of this resource package (‘Construction Plans
for Female-Friendly Sanitation Facilities’) provides examples of facility designs that meet MHH
standards.
Human-Centered Design Approach

•• Does the design approach place the intended users at the center of facility design and sanitary product
choices?
•• Do the users of the facility have a voice in choosing its location?
•• Are local end users actively engaged during planning and design stages?
•• Is there a system in place for users to submit their complaints (for example, user satisfaction survey)?
Exterior Design Features

There are several design features in the exterior of a sanitation facility that can be considered to make it
female-friendly and accessible:
Location of Sanitation Facilities
•• Are the facilities located in a safe area?
•• Is the facility located within 30 meters of the institution it serves?
•• In multistory buildings, are female-friendly toilets available on every floor?
•• Is the facility located in an easy to access area? (For example, not on a steep slope that may be difficult
to access by wheelchair users.)
•• Are there accessible facilities on every floor in multistory buildings?
•• Is the path to the facility wide enough for a wheelchair user and constructed from nonslippery
material?
•• Are tactile aids (for example, stones or rope) provided along the path to guide the visually impaired?
•• Is the path well-lit?

Number of Toilets
•• Is there a sufficient number of male and female cubicles to meet the number of users at the given
institution?
•• Is at least one of the toilets for men and one for women accessible for users with disabilities?
Entrance/Safety
•• Are entrances to male and female toilets separate and clearly marked with male and female signs?
If possible, can the male and female entrances face different directions?
•• Is the door handle positioned in an accessible and easy-to-open way for users with disabilities?
•• Is the door wide enough for wheelchair users or those in need of assistance?
Interior Design Features

Also in the interior of a sanitation facility there are design features that should be considered to make it
female-friendly and accessible:
Cubicles
•• Do toilet cubicles have doors with interior locks to ensure privacy and safety?
•• Do the facility and cubicles have sufficient lighting? Natural lighting is acceptable, as long as it does
not violate the privacy of the user.
•• Are cubicles properly ventilated, such as by a window or vent near the ceiling for air flow (while ensur-
ing privacy)?
•• Are hooks or shelves provided in cubicles to allow users to set MHH products and/or clothes in a clean
location?
•• Is there a mirror in the facility to enable girls to check for stains?
•• Is there a bin for sanitary napkin disposal in each cubicle?
•• Does at least one of the cubicles include all the following accessibility features?
˚˚ Space for a wheelchair to maneuver (recommended 1.5 meters by 2.2 meters)

A wide, outward-facing door with rails or a rope inside to assist with closing
˚˚ A raised toilet seat with sturdy handrails

˚˚ A large bolt lock that is easy to grip
˚˚ A physically accessible path to the cubicle
˚˚
Floor/Ground Surface
•• Is the floor made of easy-to-clean, nonslippery material?
•• Is the floor flat and accessible to wheelchair users to enter the facility?
•• If there are stairs, are there alternatives provided for wheelchair users? (For example, ramps with
appropriate grade or a working elevator.) Note: Check country specifications for ramps, or use univer-
sal design standards.

Bathing Facilities
•• Is there a separate bathing area for females to wash affected areas after changing sanitary pads?
•• Does the bathing area provide clean water and soap?
•• Are bathing or laundry spaces available for washing reusable menstrual materials?
•• Is additional laundry soap provided for the washing of menstrual materials?
•• Is there a clothesline or hanger to dry materials? (Consider also providing an additional piece of
cloth to privately cover these menstrual materials, especially in contexts in which there are privacy
issues.)
•• Are lockers provided so that menstrual materials can be stored and taken home later?
Handwashing Station
•• Is there a handwashing station with soap and water within the cubicle?
•• If not within the cubicle, is a handwashing station inside the sanitation facility?
•• Is there at least one handwashing station that is low enough for a wheelchair user?
Availability of Water
•• Does the cubicle have access to water?
•• If not, is there a water source close to the facility?
•• Is there a system to collect and carry water to the toilet? (For example, small buckets that can be car-
ried to the cubicle)
•• Is the water quality clean and safe to limit the risk of infection?
•• Do cubicles have water and soap to wash body parts and menstrual hygiene materials?
Sanitary Supplies
•• Does each cubicle have toilet paper, a hose, a bucket, or other culturally appropriate means to wash
after changing sanitary materials?
•• Is soap provided in handwashing and bathing areas?
•• Are menstrual hygiene supplies (for example, pads, cloths, or tampons) provided in female bathrooms?
•• Does the school or HCF maintain a supply of menstrual materials for emergencies?
•• Is there an arrangement for procurement and distribution of MHH supplies?
Operation and Maintenance

•• Is water accessibility tested?
•• Are facilities accessible at all times?
•• Who is responsible for cleaning and maintaining the WASH facilities?
•• Are there committees/groups that support maintaining the facilities?

•• Who is responsible for financing the operation and maintenance expenses? Are bins, with lids, avail-
able for the disposal of sanitary products? If possible, bins should be included in each cubicle; other-
wise, a single bin for the facilities, in a private location, is sufficient.
•• Is there a culturally appropriate disposal method in place? (For example, burying, incineration, dis-
posal in a commercial or public waste management collection system, disposal in a pit latrine, or
composting.)
•• Is there a plan for managing accumulated menstrual product waste?
•• Who manages the disposal process for this waste?

III. Checklist for Social and Behavior Change Communication on
Menstrual Health and Hygiene
Objectives and Limitations of the Checklist
This checklist provides key questions to ask in developing social and behavior change communication
(SBCC) activities and campaigns to promote menstrual health and hygiene. These questions will need
to be adjusted to fit the project requirements, the country context, and the availability of media
channels.
SBCC is the strategic use of communication approaches to promote changes in knowledge, attitudes,
norms, beliefs, and behaviors at multiple levels of society through coordination of messages and activ-
ities across a variety of channels. SBCC strategies are data-driven, using in-depth understanding of
behavior determinants, the people affected, and the context in which they make decisions to design
persuasive communication. SBCC aims for both social and individual change (IHBC 2013; SNV 2016; Ul
Haque and Kumar 2018; USAID 2016; USAID n.d.; WASHplus 2013; WSP 2010).
What Is the Purpose of the MHH SBCC?

•• Changing menstrual taboos and influencing social norms in support of sustainable MHH behavior
change?
•• Strengthening community response to MHH challenges?
•• Influencing decision makers, family, and peer networks?
•• Increasing demand for MHH sanitary products? For female-friendly toilets?
•• Increasing healthy MHH behavior?
•• Influencing policy about MHH?
Situation Analysis
•• What is the intended outcome of the MHH SBCC?
•• What are the challenges?
•• What is the context of the core challenge?
•• What are the communication needs?
•• What changes in behavior, social norms, and policy would affect the problem?
•• What are the key facilitators for change?
Audience Analysis
•• Who are the key influencers of the most-affected people?
•• Who controls behavior and resources needed for MHH?
•• What groups compose the priority audience for MHH SBCC?
•• What are the characteristics of the priority audience (sociodemographic, geographic, aspirations,
needs, beliefs, and knowledge about MHH, current MHH practices, and preferred communication
channels?)

Strategic Approaches
•• What communication channels are most appropriate (interpersonal communication with individuals
[counseling or mentoring] or groups; community engagement and mobilization events; folk media;
and mass media, including social media)?
•• What is the desired reach of the campaign?
•• What is the level of media access of the priority audience?
•• What budget is available for development, production, and distribution of communication products?
•• Is it a sensitive issue? What are the social norms?
•• What are the literacy levels of the intended audience? What are the local languages?
•• What communication materials already exist? Could they be adapted for this SBCC? Do they offer
ideas for developing materials?
•• What are the proposed activities for each audience?
Messages
•• Key message points: What core information will be included in all messages and activities?
•• What benefits are promised? (For example, social approval, prestige, fear reduction, economic oppor-
tunity, or perceived health and life enhancement.)
•• What support will be given for the promised benefits? (For example, peer testimonials or
demonstration.)
•• What feelings should the audience get from the communication?
•• What kind of appeal will be used? (For example, directive, nondirective, entertaining, persuasive, or
empowering.)
Pretesting Communication Messages and Materials

(Using focus group discussions with people from intended audience)
•• Do they command attention?
•• Are the messages clear?
•• Do they appeal to both heart and head?
•• Do they call for action (changing behavior)?
•• Are they relevant to the issues faced by the priority audience?
•• Are they culturally sensitive?
•• Are they socially acceptable?
•• Are pictures, photos, and other images clear and understandable?
Implementation Plans for SBCC

•• Which partners (for example, marketing firm or NGOs) can participate, and what are their roles and
responsibilities?

•• What is the sequencing of activities, events, media, and so on?
•• What is the timeline?
•• Is there synergy among the SBCC components?
•• How will the audience be involved in the design of the MHH SBCC program?
Monitoring and Evaluation of SBCC

•• What indicators will be used to track the progress of the SBCC campaign?
•• What is the monitoring plan?
•• What is the evaluation plan?
BOX 2.1. Lessons Learned from Communication Campaign Experience
•• It is essential to ensure the availability of products needed before promoting their use (for
example, soap and menstrual pads).
•• Behavior-centered activities are more effective than materials (for example, leaflets).
•• Emotional drivers are stronger than a focus on benefits.
•• It is important to target both men and women and to avoid perpetuating gender stereotypes in
messaging.
•• It is important to consult with members of the target audience during the development of
messages.

IV. Checklist for Working with Social Enterprises to Improve Access
to Menstrual Products
This checklist provides key questions to ask when partnering with social enterprises in efforts to improve
access to menstrual products for women and girls.1 In many parts of the world, women and girls do not
have access to quality and hygienic menstrual products, either because they are not available to them or
because they are unaffordable. Social enterprises have the capacity to produce low-cost menstrual
products, often by using locally available materials, by keeping a short supply chain and by eliminating
middlemen in the marketing and distribution of the products. Social enterprises also have the ability to
develop innovative and culturally appropriate methods to promote adoption of the product and raise
awareness on MHH. Availability of menstrual products in isolation is not sufficient in providing girls and
women adequate menstrual health and hygiene. Support to social enterprises must be coupled with
broader MHH efforts, such as ensuring access to clean and private sanitation facilities; providing safe
and culturally sensitive mechanisms for the disposal of menstrual products; knowledge and informa-
tion on the hygienic management of menstruation not only among women and girls but also men and
boys; and efforts to remove the culture of taboos and stigmas regarding menstruation among the broader
community. The questions in this checklist will need to be adjusted to suit the local context. For instance,
in situations in which social enterprises working on menstrual products already exist, the focus may
need to be on scaling up their efforts. Where social enterprises do not yet exist, efforts will need to be
made to set up such an enterprise.
What Are the Expected Outcomes of the Intervention of Working with Social Enterprises?
•• To increase school attendance of adolescent girls who miss school because of menstruation?
•• To reduce health risks caused by unhygienic management of menstruation?
•• To generate employment through the production/sale of menstrual products?
•• To improve women’s productivity at home and at work by helping them manage their menstruation?
Assessment of Market Landscape

•• Who is currently supplying menstrual products to the project area?
•• Do multinational brand-name menstrual products reach the local market?
•• Do any social enterprises exist in the country/region that produce and supply menstrual products?
•• Are there any other actors involved in facilitating access to menstrual products? (For example, donors,
NGOs, nonprofit organizations, multinationals, government agencies, and so on.)
Assessment of Products Available

•• What types of products are sold in the local market? (For example, reusable pads, disposable pads,
menstrual cups and tampons, and so on.)
•• Which, if any, of these products are produced locally?
•• Which, if any, of these products are environmentally friendly? (For example, they are reusable/
biodegradable.)

•• What other types of menstrual products do women and girls use? (For example, menstrual cloths,
underwear into which absorbent material is placed, and so on.)
Access to Products
•• Where are the menstrual products sold/distributed? (For example, markets, pharmacies, door-to-
door sales, distributed in schools or HCFs, and so on.)
•• Are women and girls able to purchase menstrual products? (For example, do they manage a budget for
such purchases? In contexts in which shame is associated with menstruation, are they able to pur-
chase products in a private manner?)
•• Are the menstrual products that are available in the market affordable, including to low-income
women and girls?
•• If women and girls do not have access to menstrual products, what are the main barriers to access?
(This last question may require collecting primary data directly from women and girls in the project
area.)
Quality of Products
•• Do the menstrual products sold in the market meet the quality standards required for comfortable
management of menses, according to the users?
•• Are there government guidelines on quality assurance of product standards?
•• If women and girls do not buy menstrual products, are the materials that they use to absorb their
menstrual blood safe and hygienic?
Preference of Products
(This part of the assessment requires collecting primary data from the end users. The proposed method for
collecting data is focus group discussions with girls and women.)
•• What are the preferred menstrual products of girls and women? (For example, reusable pads, dispos-
able pads, menstrual cups and tampons, and so on.)
•• Is there a preference for locally produced products or products sold by multinationals?
•• How much are girls and women willing to pay for their preferred menstrual products?
Producers of Menstrual Products

•• Who are the local producers of the menstrual materials available in the local market? (For example,
microentrepreneurs, cooperatives, women’s associations, NGOs, and so on.)
•• Which part of the value chain of the menstrual products are they involved in? (For example, design,
production, marketing, distribution, training health educators, and so on.)
•• Is the production centralized (for example, the enterprise owns the factory and employs women), or
is it decentralized (for example, the enterprise facilitates local production through sale of a produc-
tion machine to women in rural areas)?

•• What are the distribution networks employed by the enterprise? (For example, directly or through a
retail network.)
•• If no local producers of menstrual products are currently operating, are there any groups/associations
interested in doing so?
•• What knowledge do they have of the supply chain of menstrual products?
•• What training could be provided to expand their capacity and knowledge of the supply chain?
Production of Menstrual Products

•• How are the menstrual products produced?
•• What machines are used to produce the products?
•• Where can the machines be procured?
•• What types of raw materials are procured for the menstrual material?
•• Where are the raw materials procured?
Cost Factors
•• Can the menstrual product be sold for less than brand-name products?
•• Are the raw materials used in production locally available?
•• Can the product be sold at an affordable price, including to low-income customers?
•• Can flexible payment options be introduced for low-income customers? (For example, barter or late
payment systems, and so on.)
Access to Finance and Training

•• Are financing tools available to the social enterprises to purchase machines/raw materials or to set up
a business in the first place? (For example, loans, seed funding from donors or investors, start-up
grants, equipment grants, replication grants, investments, financial awards, crowd funding, and
so on.)
•• Do social enterprises have access to training/networking/mentoring to help them start/grow their

business?
•• In which part of the supply chain is training most required? (For example, in procurement, accessing
financing, business models, community awareness raising, or sales.)
Scale and Reach

•• Who are the target customers? (For example, rural, urban, slum areas, low-income women,
and so on.)
•• How many customers does the enterprise reach?
•• Could the business be scaled up in its current capacity?
•• What is the biggest obstacle to scaling up? (For example, investment in additional technology, access
to more raw materials, more employees, access to finance, and so on.)

Distribution of Products
•• Where are the menstrual products sold? (For example, door to door; from home, school, and hospital
distributors; grocery stores; back to the machine vendor for sale to consumers; and so on.)
•• Who sells the products? (For example, trusted networks of sales agents, local women’s groups, com-
munity health workers, and so on.)
•• What avenues are used to advertise the product? (For example, word-of-mouth advertisement, media
attention, and so on.)
•• How is messaging adapted in a culturally sensitive manner?
Adoption of Products
•• Are any measures taken to enhance acceptance of products among customers? (For example, packag-
ing products to customers’ needs and wants, selling them in kits, distributing them through locally
trusted partners, creating local brands, and so on.)
•• Have any pilot trials or studies been conducted to understand consumer preferences and cultural
sensitivities that need to be considered?
•• Are instructions on how to use the product included in the local language or as illustrations for illiter-
ate customers?
Raising Awareness
•• Are the social enterprises producing the menstrual product also involved in raising awareness on
menstrual health and hygiene in the community?
•• If so, in what form? (For example, organizing awareness campaigns, offering informal or formal
education, holding workshops and village meetings, disseminating knowledge on radio/social
media, offering helplines to provide information, running health clubs, using educational theater,
and so on.)
•• Are there any other actors involved in raising awareness? (For example, NGOs, female sales agents,
community health workers, teachers, and so on.)
•• Are men and boys involved in the awareness-raising initiatives?
•• Is technology used to raise awareness? (For example, apps on menstrual health and hygiene.)
Role of Government and Public Policy

•• Does the government address menstrual hygiene in women’s health and girls’ education?
•• Are there any government policies on menstrual health and hygiene?
•• Is menstrual hygiene included in national sanitation and hygiene strategies and school health
policies?
•• Are there any government initiatives to facilitate access to menstrual products? (For example,
subsidizing pads, making them available for free, offering tax cuts, and so on.)
•• Are there policy constraints that inhibit women entrepreneurs?

V. Checklist for Menstrual Waste Management
This checklist provides key questions to assess menstrual waste disposal and collection mechanisms,
understand sector governance and institutional capacity, and ensure infrastructure functionality and
staff training. Local context and needs will guide question adjustments and modifications. The checklist
does not address all aspects of waste management systems, processes, and regulatory framework.
It mainly focuses on evaluating standard disposal and collection practices, as well as basic aspects of
governance, infrastructure, and services.
Assessment of Menstrual Waste Disposal and Collection Mechanisms

•• What type(s) of menstrual product(s) are used in the project area?
•• How is menstrual waste disposed? (For example, waste bins/containers, trash chutes, pits, and so on.)
•• Is menstrual waste disposed on-site or collected and disposed off-site?
•• Are covered containers in the toilet area available for menstrual products’ disposal?
•• Are disposal mechanisms effective and discreet?
•• To what extent do open dumping and littering practices occur in the project area?
•• How often is solid waste collected from facilities and/or communities?
•• Are there any public or private sector institutions responsible for different aspects of solid waste man-
agement? (For example, waste collection, segregation, and/or treatment, and so on.)
•• Who pays for solid waste collection?
•• How do current solid waste disposal mechanisms affect the project area’s environment?
•• When and how are soiled menstrual products segregated (that is, at the community or waste manage-
ment facility level)?
•• Is solid waste recycled and/or reused?
•• Are composting schemes available?
Enabling Environment
•• Are there laws and/or regulations defining menstrual waste classification?
•• Are there national strategies and/or policies governing solid waste management?
•• What institutions are legally responsible for solid waste management systems?
•• How do the governing institutions implement their legal responsibility?
Construction/Rehabilitation of Waste Separation and Treatment Facility

•• Are solid waste management infrastructure built and functional?
•• Are waste dumpsters appropriate for use (that is, in good condition and properly labeled)?
•• Is waste stored and/or handled in a well-ventilated room?

Staff Training
•• Has waste management strategic plans and compliance with national and local legislation, regula-
tions, and policies been communicated to all staff and identified subcontractors?
•• Do workers wear appropriate gear while on duty? (For example, collecting, segregating, and/or treat-
ing waste.)
•• Is there a mechanism to provide medical attention in case of emergency while on duty?
Notes
1. A social enterprise is a business that applies commercial strategies to meet social objectives. While social enterprises seek to maximize
profits, they are driven to innovate solutions to society’s most pressing social problems. This tool focuses on working with social
enterprises but recognizes that there are many other private sector business models in the realm of MHH innovating solutions to improve
the access to menstrual products. This could include micro-businesses, or small and medium enterprises, or other forms of enterprises.
An assessment of the country context would need to be made to assess which type of business model to work with.

Tool 3
Tackling Affordability, Accessibility, and Safety of
Menstrual Products through Policies and Regulations
Context of “Period Poverty”
Far too many women and girls around the world struggle under “period poverty.” Period poverty arises
when menstruating women and girls do not have access to affordable and quality sanitary products;
safe, hygienic spaces in which to use them; or the ability to manage menstruation without shame or
stigma. For instance, among the 355 million menstruators in India, 12 percent cannot afford menstrual
products (FSG 2016), and that percentage spikes to 65 percent in Kenya (Opportunity International
Australia 2020). Although periods are a biological and natural phenomenon, affecting most menstrua-
tors on a regular basis, period poverty means that many women and girls are unable to participate freely
in public life while menstruating. Unable to afford or access adequate menstrual products, which
absorbs menstrual blood, menstruating women and girls are likely to face sexual health risks and issues
of leakages and stains, which restricts their movement because of the shame and stigma associated with
period blood. This inability to access or afford menstrual products is compounded by social norms and
stigmas associated with menstruation and widespread misinformation.
The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic has further deepened period poverty. Because of school clo-
sures around the world, many girls lack access to menstrual hygiene education or, in places where
schools were their primary source of sanitary products, access to adequate material to manage their
menses. The economic effects of COVID-19, throwing many people into deeper vulnerability, has led
to the reprioritization of consumption, often at the expense of menstrual products. Moreover, in some
countries, the supply chains of many products, including sanitary products, has been disrupted
because of lockdown and social distancing measures enforced to battle the pandemic, resulting in
even higher prices of already unaffordable crucial products.
Although ending period poverty needs to be tackled through multiple fronts—including through the
provision of hardware (for example, menstrual products and adequate infrastructure) and software (for
example, information, education, and awareness raising)—a critical area of engagement is through pol-
icies and regulations. In fact, it is through policy reforms that an enabling environment is set in place,
and from which all other efforts to improve menstrual health and hygiene can be taken to scale and
sustained.
Policy Interventions
Policies and regulations can address issues of affordability, accessibility, and safety of menstrual prod-
ucts and enable broader equity. Reforms in policies, such as tax policy changes or subsidies for prod-
ucts, can affect the cost and quality of menstrual products and thereby the availability of such products
to all users, regardless of income. Regulations on the quality of products can ensure that menstruators
have access to healthy and safe products while also protecting the environment. For policies to be
effective, they must be part of broader efforts to expand information and knowledge on the

importance of adequate menstrual health and hygiene. It is only in an environment where taboos are
broken that policies on affordability and accessibility can take effect.
There are numerous policy interventions that can be considered to address period poverty. Some key
policy interventions include tax exemptions, subsides for products, support and subsidies for small and
medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), cash transfers, and quality regulations.
Tax Exemptions
Although women and girls rely on menstrual products to manage their menses in a healthy and digni-
fied manner, such products are often unaffordable to large swaths of the population because of the high
tax rates imposed on them. In many countries, menstrual products are not considered “essential goods”
and instead are taxed at the same standard rate as “luxury items.” Because of this classification, such
products are not subject to a reduced tax rate or exemption, making them unaffordable to lower-income
consumers. This sales tax imposed on sanitary products is often referred to as the “tampon tax.” In addi-
tion to issues of affordability, campaigners against the tampon tax claim that the high taxation of men-
strual products constitutes sex-based discrimination because the menstrual cycle is a biological
phenomenon that cannot be controlled by women. In Hungary and Sweden, for instance, the tax rate on
menstrual products is as high as 27 and 25 percent, respectively.
To make menstrual products affordable and thereby accessible to everyone (in other words, to reach
“menstrual equity,” as coined by some activists), what is needed is the removal of the value-added tax
(VAT) or sales tax, as is done for other products considered basic necessities.
When considering tax reforms, the way in which demand reacts to the price changes to the product
needs to be analyzed. The VAT is intrinsically related, so how these taxes are implemented needs to be
considered. Also caution must be taken that targeted and regulatory provisions are in place so that the
quality of the products are not affected.
How a country introduces tax policy reforms varies (see Box 3.1). Evidence shows mixed effects of
the removal or reduction of period taxes to lower prices for consumers. However, what is undisputed
is that campaigns for MHH-related policies typically trigger broader conversations about societal
attitudes toward menstruation. It indirectly helps to tackle the persisting stigma surrounding

menstruation.
Subsidies for Products

Other than reducing or eliminating taxes, some proponents of menstrual equity advocate for menstrual
products to be distributed freely or at subsidized prices. Particularly targeted under subsidized schemes
should be low-income families and public places, such as schools, health care centers, community cen-
ters, shelters, and correction facilities. Some countries have national schemes that distribute locally
produced sanitary materials to girls in school. For instance, the Government of South Africa developed
a Sanitary Dignity Policy Framework which ensures universal access to sanitary material to women and
girls. In 2017 the Government of Kenya made an amendment to the Education Act requiring the distri-
bution of sanitary pads at schools, for which it set aside a reported $3m in the national budget. In emer-
gency situations, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, subsidized schemes can be used to make menstrual
products available to the most in need.

BOX 3.1. Examples of Countries with Tax Policy Reforms
Bangladesh, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa are some countries that have implemented policy
or tax regulations on menstrual products. The stark difference on their approaches exposes the
complexity of the regulatory and policy issues at hand. For example, Bangladesh removed the
value-added tax (VAT) on raw materials for production of menstrual products from July 2019
until June 2021 to stimulate local production. Kenya started to remove taxes in 2004 and by 2016
removed all applicable taxes. Nigeria, on the other hand, removed the VAT for intermediate goods
so that producers can have an incentive to develop these products in markets.
A growing number of countries are abolishing VAT on menstrual products entirely or are
introducing tax cuts. Some countries include Colombia, Ireland, Lebanon, Malaysia, and Tanzania.
Provision of free sanitary products should ideally be supported by behavior change programs that
address unhealthy menstrual practices.
Support and Subsidies for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

SMEs are the engines of social and economic growth in many countries. However, many SMEs, particu-
larly in emerging markets, face constraints in accessing financing. Through the restructuring of national
support, more favorable conditions can be promoted for SMEs to produce and distribute better-quality
products. There are numerous ways in which policy can support SMEs to close the financing gap they
face and to thereby ensure consumers have access to affordable products. This can take the form, for
instance, of subsidies for efficiently priced sanitary pads or activities that help entrepreneurs produce at
a lower price. Support to SMEs has the dual effect of bringing affordable products to the local market and
increasing employment opportunities.
Cash Transfers
Another intervention to make products affordable to low-income people can be through cash transfers,
whether conditional or in kind. Cash transfer programs enable users to purchase the required supplies
directly, thereby increasing their choice in product. Evidence suggests that when women are given the
opportunity to purchase products directly (rather than receiving subsidized free products), it comes
with a sense of empowerment. It also leads to a behavior change and to the valuing of the product. Cash
transfers can take different forms, such as unrestricted cash distribution, voucher systems, or guaran-
teed discounts when purchasing menstrual products.
Although the effectiveness of cash transfer programs is generally acknowledged, to date insuffi-
cient evidence exists on the influence of such programs on girls’ and women’s ability to access men-
strual products. When designing cash transfer programs, issues need to be considered, such as access
to the local market, the prioritization of consumable goods, or who manages the household budget.
Nigeria is starting to incorporate teenage girls and poor women into a conditional cash transfer pro-
gram by offering them stipends and support in purchasing the necessary sanitary materials for their
menstrual periods.

Quality Regulations
Menstruators not only should have access to menstrual products, but they also should have access to
quality products of their choosing. Regulations and guidelines need to be in place that oversee the
safety, both at the personal and environmental levels, of the products. The specific requirements of
different groups of menstruators, such as girls and women with disabilities, need to be considered in
such standards. For instance, manufacturing standards can be developed to ensure that products meet
a quality standard. Products should be tested for safety over the long term, and manufacturers should
be encouraged to disclose all ingredients in their products.
For instance, South Africa’s Sanitary Dignity Framework sets national norms and standards on the
quality of menstrual products, requiring them to fulfill criteria on absorption, comfort, durability, fab-
rics to be used, and thermal resistance.
World Bank Group Instruments for Policy Reforms

The World Bank has instruments to affect policy change in client countries—most notably, Development
Policy Financing (DPF) and Program for Results (P4R). Through such instruments, incentives, programs,
and lending operations can be advocated to allow for policy changes to take place with specific out-
comes so women can access menstrual products.
DPF aims to help the borrower achieve sustainable poverty reduction through a program of policy and
institutional actions—for example, strengthening public financial management, improving the invest-
ment climate, addressing bottlenecks to improve service delivery, and diversifying the economy. DPF
can be a key tool to push for MHH-related policies, such as tax reforms or support to SMEs.
P4R links disbursement of funds directly to the delivery of defined results, helping countries improve
the design and implementation of their own development programs and achieve lasting results by
strengthening institutions and building capacity. Through the P4R instrument, existing programs that
focus on adolescents’ health and human capital can be supported and strengthened to ensure they
address the needs of menstruating girls and women.
Particularly in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, these instruments can be useful for accel-
erating the recovery process and instrumenting menstrual health and hygiene. Furthermore, in response
to COVID-19, the World Bank has issued a fast-track procurement process that enables countries to
purchase hygiene products for hospitals and populations.1
Note
1. For more details on how to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 and menstrual health and hygiene, see this UNICEF brief at https://www
.unicef.org/media/68371/file/Mitigating-the-impacts-of-COVID-19-on-menstrual-health-and-hygiene-Brief.pdf.

Tool 4
Examples of Construction Plans for Female-Friendly
Sanitation Facilities
FIGURE 4.1. Interior View of Cubicle
Adequate numbers of safely located

toilets separated (with clear signage)
FEMALES from male facilities
Safe and private toilets with inside
door latch
Clear signs instructing girls and women

to dispose of menstrual waste in the
trash bin
A shelf and hook for hygienically

storing belongings during usage
Night-time light source both inside and

outside of the toilets
Easily accessible water (ideally inside

the cubicle) for girls and women to wash
themselves and menstrual materials
Trash bins (with lids) to dispose of used

menstrual materials
Walls, door, and roof are made of
nontransparent materials with no gaps
or spaces
Some units should be accessible to
people with disabilities
Source: Columbia University and IRC 2017.

FIGURE 4.2. Layout of Female-Friendly Sanitation Facility
Wash and Latrine Urinal High-level

change windows
room
Hand-
washing
Rainwater
collection Rainwater
collection
Water Water
tank Walls for tank
privacy
Source: WaterAid 2012.

FIGURE 4.3. Female-Friendly Toilet Floor Plan with Connection to Incinerator
A
If possible, provide direct
Chute, if connected, must be large, internally connection to an incinerator
smooth and with steep inclination to avoid
chokage. Incineration waste container emptying
must be conducted with sufficient frequency If no direct connection to incinerator, provide an
to avoid backup or overflow enclosed container which will be periodically
emptied for incineration or formal disposal) for
sanitary pad disposal
If large collection container provided,

sanitary pad disposal chuties could
be provided in all female cubicles Area for washing menstrual cloths. Smooth,
(not just the MHM cubicle) easily cleaned surface sloped towards a
drain point
Consult with community on preferences consider
600 mm
Provision of paper provision of shelves (for clean clothing),
bags for wrapping and hooks or racks for drying,
disposal items either inside MHM toilet or elsewhere (can
1,500 mm
can improve combine with general laundry area)

cleanliness
600 mm
Consider supplying reservoir
Large bin with lid to be provided. If this is by connection to rainwater
the main receptacle for sanitary napkins, 1,500 mm collection system
ensure bin is easily washable and portable
(for carrying to incinerator/formal disposal)
700 mm
Location for reservoir if toilets are not connected
A to piped water; depending on storage requirements
Soap to be provided (consider
the room may need to be enlarged to accommodate
vandal/theft proof dispensers)
an appropriately sized reservoir
Notes:
1. Consider providing dispensers of sanitary pads (whether free or for purchase)
2. In facilities where showers are not provided, consider increasing the size of washing area provided
3. Include flexible hand held shower head where practical
4. Alternatively, conventional cubicles with individual wash basins (and hooks, shelves etc, as user preference following community
consultation) can also be used for MHM
Plan on toilet with menstrual hygiene management (MHM) provision

Necessary in all institutional toilets and should be included in public toilets wherever possible
Note that lack of MHM facilities in schools can result in girls dropping out

FIGURE 4.4. Menstrual Health and Hygiene Waste Disposal System
Dispose of
sanitary and
paper waste
in opening in
wall or waste
bin provided
Incinerator Optional opening

chimney to in wall connects
extend at least directly to external
500mm above waste collection
roof height container or to
incinerator Signage with clear direction on
Rainwater
downpipe where to dispose of sanitary
(optional) waste (either to bin provided or
opening in wall) if opening in wall
is provided sign should be placed
directly above it. However, also
For advice on incinerator consider whether a second sign
design refer to Noofgale J. needs to be placed opposite
Van Den and Maes, P. (Eds) the toilet to ensure it is noticed
(2010) Public Health
Engineering in Precocious
Solutions, Medicine Sons
Foundries, Paris, France
For additional plans for female-friendly sanitation facilities, see UNICEF 2019a; WaterAid 2012, 2019;
WaterAid, WSUP, and UNICEF 2018; and WEDC 2014.
Tool 5
Measuring Results on Menstrual Health and Hygiene
Objectives and Limitations of the Indicator Chart
The purpose of this matrix is to assist task teams in developing results frameworks for projects with
menstrual health and hygiene components and subcomponents, following the theory of change
developed for their projects. The table below provides a list of sample MHH indicators, definitions for
measurement, and data sources and collection methods.1 The proposed indicators aim to close gender
gaps that fall under any of the four pillars of the World Bank Gender Strategy: (a) human endowments;
(b) more and better jobs; (c) ownership and control of assets; and (d) promote women’s voice and
agency. Not all indicators or measures for indicator definitions will apply to any given project.
Selection of relevant indicators by the team will be based on the project development objective and
the intermediate results and will likely require adjustment to respond to the specifics of the program,
the country context, and data availability. In making these adjustments, it is important to keep in
mind that the indicators need to be SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-
bound) (World Bank 2012).
TABLE 5.1. Sample Indicators to Address MHH
Indicator Indicator Definition Data Sources and Collection Methods

Enabling Environment for MHH
MHH is clearly defined and • National WASH and other sector policy Policy document review
articulated in national policies includes MHH definition and required Standard design and guideline document
and strategies for WASH, health, measures (with budget allocated for MHH) review
education, and other relevant • MHH facility requirements are part of
sector policies and linked to a goal national standards for WASH designs
of gender equality
• Policy regarding MHH articulates a goal
to address gaps in women’s and girls’
educational and employment opportunities
and voice resulting from poor MHH
Roles and responsibilities for • Share of surveyed stakeholders who Policy document review
financing and implementing MHH responded accurately to questions about Stakeholder survey
policies and programs clearly their roles and responsibilities with respect
articulated among government to MHH
agencies, NGOs, and private sector • Policy instruments in different coordinating
stakeholders sectors and organizations are consistent with
one another with regard to MHH roles and
responsibilities
• Formulation, application, revision, appeal,

monitoring, and enforcement authorities
and processes concerning the MHH roles
and responsibilities detailed in the policy
instrument are specified
table continues next page

TABLE 5.1. continued

MHH education is incorporated • Completion of MHH coursework required for Policy document review
in the national teacher training certification Teacher training curriculum review
curriculum and/or public health • MHH courses address cultural taboos, stigma,
worker training and includes shaming, and gender stereotypes
overcoming stigma and gender
stereotypes
MHH integrated into the national • National MHH education guidelines and Policy document review
school curriculum and includes teaching plans developed and issued to School curriculum review
overcoming stigma and gender schools
Instructional materials review
stereotypes • MHH instructional materials and visual aids
developed and provided to schools
Percentage of schools with • Clear definition of unacceptable behaviors Policy document review
enforced policies and regulations • Clear procedures for treatment Teacher and school administrator survey
against bullying and shaming on enforcement measures
• Guidance on counseling for victims of
girls and female teachers about
bullying
menstruation
Access to Female-Friendly Water and Sanitation Infrastructure
Percentage of institutional Minimum requirements for MHH within WASH Review of standard design and guideline
and public WASH facilities (for facilities: documents
example, schools and health • Separate, clearly marked sanitation facilities Physical verification of WASH facility
centers) that meet the basic for males and females compliance with requirements
requirements for MHH facilities
• Private stalls for individual use Consultation with users
• Stall doors lock from the inside
• Water access for personal hygiene
• Handwashing station with soap
• Adequate lighting for safety
• Space for changing sanitary napkins and MHH
• Space to wash and dry reusable pads
• Covered bins for soiled disposable pads
Percentage of women and girls • Perceived sense of improved safety KAP survey with reference against
who report increased sense of • Perceived sense of self-confidence and baseline
self-efficacy/agency since MHH agency Focus group discussions
facilities were installed
• Greater sense of self-esteem Individual interviews
• Perceived decrease in bullying and shaming

by boys


Percentage of women and girls • Availability of hygienic and sustainable waste Review of menstrual waste disposal
who report that the MHH water disposal system management plans
disposal methods enable them • Waste disposal system aligned with cultural Physical verification of disposal system
to manage their menstrual waste norms and prevalent use of sanitation Interviews or focus group discussions
with dignity and confidence materials with users
• Waste disposal system perceived as adequate Individual questionnaire
by users
• Reduced sense of shame and distress

associated with managing menstrual waste
Access to Menstrual Sanitary Products
Percentage of women and girls • Able to explain means of accessing or making KAP survey with reference against
who report that they can afford or pads baseline
have access to a sufficient quantity • Able to state source and cost of purchased Focus group discussions
of hygienic menstrual materials pads Individual questionnaire
Percentage of women and girls • Perceived comfort KAP survey with reference against
reporting satisfaction with • Acceptable quality baseline
available menstrual materials Focus group discussions
• Perceived sense of self-efficacy and self-
confidence Individual questionnaire
Number of local women and girls • Number of pads produced and marketed Focus group discussions
earning income from production • Number of women and girls employed Individual interviews
and/or supply of low-cost sanitary
• Income from sanitary pad sales Individual questionnaire
napkins
• Loans received (if applicable)
• Training received
MHH Education Outcomes
Percentage of teachers who teach • Number of teachers trained on MHH in basic Consultation with teachers and school
about MHH in a sensitive manner training administration
• Number of teachers who received MHH Review of teacher training records

in-service training Student ratings of teachers (survey)
• Percentage of female and male students
satisfied with teachers’ handling of MHH
topics in the classroom
• Number of male teachers who received

gender and MHH sensitization training


Percentage of girls and boys • Percentage of girls and boys who attended KAP survey with reference against
with accurate knowledge about classes on MHH baseline
menstruation and menstrual • Percentage of girls and boys who can Focus group discussions
hygiene explain basic facts about menstruation and Individual questionnaire
reproduction
• Percentage of girls and boys who can

describe key steps in good menstrual hygiene
Percentage of schools with • Girls share MHH-related concerns Focus group discussions
mentored same-sex or mixed • Clubs are a source of information on MHH Individual questionnaire
health clubs or other safe spaces
• Focal points/mentors guide club discussions Consultation with teachers and school
for girls and boys to discuss MHH
• Clubs provide support to victims of shaming administration
and bullying
Percentage of girls reporting • More time spent in school KAP survey with reference against
that female-friendly sanitation • Increased concentration baseline
facilities contributed to their School attendance records
• Higher self-confidence
increased participation in classes
• Greater participation Focus group discussions
• More confidence to stand up to answer Individual questionnaire
questions
• Minimized shame about menstruation
Percentage of girls who perceive • Minimized shame about menstruation KAP survey with reference against
that female-friendly sanitation • Greater satisfaction with school baseline
facilities combined with MHH School attendance records
• Greater self-confidence
education and club discussions
• Able to share concerns about MHH with Focus group discussions
contributed to their decision to
complete school other girls and mentors Individual questionnaire
MHH Health Outcomes
Percentage of HCFs providing • Number of health care workers trained in HCF survey
accurate, sensitive counseling on MHH counseling Interviews with MHH counselors
MHH • Hours per week of MHH counseling provided Interviews with women who received
• Number of clients receiving MHH counseling MHH counseling
• Client satisfaction with counseling
Percentage of girls and women • Reduced number of women with irritation KAP survey with reference against
who report irritation from sanitary • Increased number of women who describe baseline
materials pads as comfortable Individual questionnaire
Percentage of girls and women • Reduced number of infections among HCF records on incidence of urinary and
who report urinary or reproductive females participating in the project reproductive tract infections
tract infections Individual questionnaire


MHH Awareness and Behavior Change
Number of women and men • Number of women and men participating in SBCC monitoring records
reached by the MHH awareness MHH events
and behavior change campaign • Number reached through social media, radio,
and other media
Percentage of women and men • Number of women and men who understand KAP survey with reference against
who report that they no longer that menstruation is a natural, normal part of baseline
believe in female impurity the reproduction process Individual questionnaire
and shame associated with • Number of women and men who understand Separate men’s and women’s, girls’ and
menstruation the negative health and social impacts of boys’ focus group discussions
cultural restrictions on menstruating women
Percentage of boys and men who • Number of boys and men who are aware KAP survey with reference against
report that it is harmful and unfair that social stigmas against menstruation are baseline
to tease, bully, or shame girls unfounded and who take actions to prevent Individual questionnaire
about menstruation the perpetuation of such views
Men’s focus group discussion
Percentage of girls and women, • Percentage of girls and women, boys and KAP survey with reference against
boys and men who recognize the men who recognize the health risks caused baseline
health and fertility risks of poor by many traditional practices Individual questionnaire
menstrual hygiene • Percentage of girls and women, boys and
men who understand that poor MHH can
cause infections, which can lead to infertility
and birth complications
Percentage of girls and women • Able to describe types of menstrual products KAP survey with reference against
who report practicing safe that are hygienic baseline
menstrual hygiene • Frequency of changing menstrual products Individual questionnaire
• Frequency of washing and drying pads
• Handwashing after changing pads
• Washing body parts
Percentage of men who report • Allocating family finances to purchase KAP survey with reference against
increased support for wives and sanitary pads and pain relievers baseline
daughters • Stopped shaming and teasing females about Individual questionnaire
menstruation Individual interviews with men, their
• Try to help wives and daughters deal with wives, and their daughters
concerns and problems associated with MHH
Sources: Columbia University and IRC 2017; Otoo, Agapitova, and Behrens 2019; Plan International 2015; UNICEF 2019a; WaterAid 2012;
World Bank 2012; World Bank Gender Group 2019.
Note: HCF = health care facility; KAP = knowledge, attitudes, and practice; MHH = menstrual health and hygiene; NGOs = nongovernmental
organizations; SBCC = social and behavior change communication; WASH = water supply, sanitation, and hygiene.
Note
1. Task teams should note that incorporating MHH measures in their project design, even when including an indicator in the results frame-
work, does not guarantee that the project will be gender tagged. It requires a clear logical chain between gender gap analysis, actions, and
indicators.

Tool 6
Generic Terms of Reference: Menstrual Health and
Hygiene Consultancy
Assignment Title: Assessment of the Status of Menstrual Health and Hygiene in [Insert project name]
Location: [Insert location of project]
Assignment Duration: [Insert the number of days the task will take]
Assignment Type: [Specify whether international or local expertise is required]
Note to Task Teams
•• This terms of reference (TOR) has been drafted as a generic product that can be applied in
any context, covering a range of comprehensive areas. It is important to tailor the TOR to
address specific project requirements and the context in which it will be implemented (for
example, rural areas, urban periphery, refugee camps, or post disaster). The task team is also
free to change the scope of the tasks, depending on the project’s needs. This TOR covers both
hardware and software aspects of menstrual health and hygiene (MHH); however, the weight
given to each aspect is likely to vary from project to project, depending on the local
requirements.
•• The project may entail intersectoral collaboration, particularly with education and health.
Although the TOR focuses on water supply, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) in schools and
health care facilities (HCFs), it can be modified to incorporate other public spaces targeted by
the project, such as markets; workplaces such as utilities or communal sanitation facilities by
including questions relevant to those locations.
•• This TOR does not include consultant support during the implementation phase of the MHH
interventions. If such support is also required, the TOR will need to be adapted to include
appropriate details under the scope of work.
•• The TOR has been drafted to be recipient-executed, and the assignment could be carried out
by the consultant hired by the client to carry out the Social and Environmental Safeguards
Assessment. However, if the task team has the allocated budget, this assessment can also be
tweaked to be World Bank-executed.
•• The TOR is written as an individual contract. If the task team desires to hire a firm to carry
out the tasks, the section on contract administration and qualification needs further
adjustment.

Background: Why Menstrual Health and Hygiene Matters to Water Projects
[Note to Task Teams: Provide here a description of the project context and components]
Sustainable Development Goal 6 calls for clean water and sanitation for all. For the benefits of water
supply, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) to be truly universal, a gender-inclusive approach through men-
strual health and hygiene (MHH) must be adopted (see Box 6.1 for a definition of MHH). WASH plays an
important role in the lives of adolescent girls and women, both from a biological and a cultural perspec-
tive. Inadequate access to WASH facilities and hygiene education can result in long-lasting gender gaps,
affecting, among others, girls’ and women’s access to education, sexual and reproductive health, mobil-
ity in the public sphere, and sense of dignity. Lack of adequate facilities and materials for menstrual
hygiene has been linked to absenteeism of girls from school during menstruation (Adukia 2017; Ortiz-
Correa, Resende Filho, and Dinar 2016; Van Eijk et al. 2016). Adolescent girls who are unable to manage
their menstrual hygiene needs in a private and safe manner are sometimes forced to drop out of school
entirely, limiting their future economic opportunities. Beyond schools, inadequate female-friendly san-
itation facilities at home or in public places, including in health care facilities (HCFs), can have dire
negative impacts on menstruating women and girls, not least by making them susceptible to many
health issues, such as reproductive tract infections. Moreover, throughout the world, stigmas and
taboos regarding menstruation create a culture of silence and shame, which marginalizes women and
excludes them from important social and economic spheres, particularly during menstruation.
BOX 6.1. What Is Menstrual Health and Hygiene?
Menstruation is a natural process linked to the female reproductive cycle. Tissue and blood from
the uterus are released monthly, unless the released egg is fertilized. Management of hygiene
during menstruation requires access to clean materials to absorb or collect menstrual blood and
secure private spaces to change them as often as necessary. Menstrual health and hygiene (MHH)
also involves being able to use soap and water for washing the hands and body, as well as access
to safe and convenient facilities to dispose of used menstrual management materials. Further,
women and girls must have access to basic information about the menstrual cycle and how to
manage it with dignity and without discomfort or fear.
MHH issues cut across sectors, bringing together health, well-being, gender equality, education,
empowerment, and rights. To address these issues in a systematic manner requires accurate
and timely knowledge; available, safe, and affordable materials; informed and comfortable
professionals; referral and access to health services; sanitation and washing facilities; positive
social norms; safe and hygienic disposal; and advocacy and policy. This holistic approach is
referred to as menstrual health and hygiene.
Sources: UNICEF 2019a; WaterAid 2012; WHO/UNICEF 2012.

The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting MHH worldwide. Many utilities are overburdened and under-
staffed because of high demand for water. This is causing disruptions in the supply of safe water, which
makes it difficult for women and girls to manage hygiene during their menses. In some countries,
schools are the main source for girls to access sanitary material, information, and support groups on
how to safely manage their menses. School closures deprive girls of these crucial resources. It is widely
recognized that promoting MHH is not only about improving sanitation; it is also an important step
toward safeguarding women’s dignity, privacy, and bodily integrity and ultimately enabling an environ-
ment of nondiscrimination and gender equity in which female voices are heard and girls have choices
about their future.
Objectives of the MHH assessment

The overall objective of this assignment is to assess how the needs of menstruating women and girls can
be addressed in an inclusive and sustainable manner through a World Bank-financed project. The
assessment will recommend realistic entry points and measures for integrating MHH in the project. To
do this, it will be necessary to assess the current status of MHH in the project area by identifying the
hardware and software gaps in the relevant institutional setting (schools and HCFs) or other public set-
tings (such as markets). This assignment does not cover the design of institutional WASH facilities but is
exclusively focused on the MHH components. In other words, this terms of reference is not intended as
a stand-alone project but as complementary to the broader WASH program.
The MHH assessment of this assignment will entail the following tasks:
•• Desk review of existing MHH resources and initiatives
•• Assessment of gaps in MHH provisions in schools and HCFs
•• A gender-sensitive MHH needs assessment
•• Recommendations for entry points and measures to address MHH
The methodology employed to achieve these subobjectives should draw on qualitative and quantita-
tive data collected from primary and secondary sources, including key informant interviews with gov-
ernment officials and school and HCF staff; focus group discussions with a range of stakeholders,
including users of WASH facilities (primarily women and girls); observational site visits; and govern-
ment, nongovernmental, and other reports and assessments.
The assessment should result in a list of recommended entry points, relevant design standards, and
actions to address the hardware and software gaps in MHH in the project area, taking into account social,
cultural, and economic factors affecting MHH.
Scope of Work
The consultant will undertake the following tasks, drawing on secondary data sources where available.
Additionally, the consultant will conduct key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and field
visits to verify the data gathered from the secondary sources and to collect primary data if data are not
available.

Desk Review of Existing MHH Resources and Initiatives
•• Review the main features of the institutional and regulatory framework that allow inclusiveness and
prioritization by identifying the national guidelines, strategies, standards, and resources on WASH
programs and designs. Identify any local codes, practices, and design guidelines. Check whether there
are any national strategies or guidelines in the WASH and/or education sectors or within a gender pol-
icy that address MHH. Please list any public policies that can serve as best practice, if available.
•• Compile MHH data from existing country systematic reviews and meta-analysis. In countries in which
data on MHH are available through the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) or the WHO (World
Health Organization)/UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) JMP (Joint Monitoring Programme),
these could be included in the reviews (see Box 6.2). There may also be findings from qualitative stud-
ies conducted on MHH in the area, particularly regarding local beliefs, taboos, stigma, and restrictions
on women and girls during menstruation and related gender stereotypes and gaps.1
•• Conduct a stakeholder mapping (at the regional, national, or subnational level) to understand what
other actors are doing to integrate MHH in institutional WASH. Stakeholders may include but are not
limited to government bodies (such as ministries in charge of health, education, and water and sani-
tation); nongovernmental organizations (NGOs); community-based organizations; women’s groups
and networks; social media platforms that girls use, such as Girl Up; donors; the private sector; and
social enterprises. Ensure that local women’s, minority, and disabled people’s organizations and
groups representing the poor are also included. Explore whether partnerships could be forged with
any of these actors.
BOX 6.2. Global Monitoring Tools Related to MHH
Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS): Household survey collecting data on women and
children worldwide. MICS questionnaires include specific indicators related to menstruation,
covering areas such as the days missed at work or school because of menstruation, materials used,
and ability to change materials in privacy at home.
Performance Monitoring and Accountability 2020 (PMA2020): Tracks family planning indicators.
PMA2020 looks at how menstrual hygiene is managed across age groups and wealth categories,
including the types of materials used to collect menstrual blood, the main environments where
menstrual health and hygiene (MHH) is practiced, and the safety, privacy, and cleanliness of these
environments, among other metrics.
WHO (World Health Organization)/UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) Joint Monitoring
Programme (JMP) for Drinking Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene: Monitors global progress toward
the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal targets for water supply and sanitation,
including in schools and health care facilities. JMP indicators for “basic” sanitation and drinking
water facilities serves as a proxy to monitor MHH because anything less than basic suggests that
women and girls lack a suitable place for managing menstruation.

Assess Gaps in MHH Provisions in Institutional WASH Facilities
An assessment of the available MHH provisions in WASH facilities will require an examination of both
the hardware and software aspects of the design:
Hardware
•• Assess the extent to which the design of existing school and health care center sanitation facilities is
female-friendly. The methods to be employed include direct observation of the facilities and consul-
tation with relevant stakeholders (including but not limited to government officials and school and
HCF staff and engineers).
•• Although there is no universal approach on how menstruation should be managed, leading agencies
working on MHH recommend some of the following requirements to make sanitation facilities
female-friendly:2
˚˚ restrictions
Adequate number of gender-separated facilities, including for those with physical mobility
˚˚ Doors that lock from the inside

Private toilet/latrine stalls for individual use
˚˚ Water access for personal hygiene, ideally inside the cubicle

˚˚ Handwashing station with soap
˚˚ Discreet waste disposal bins
˚˚ Adequate lighting for safety
˚˚ Clean space to change menstrual materials, ideally with hooks and shelves
˚˚ There are many additional features that make a sanitation facility user-friendly for girls and
˚˚ women, such as spaces to wash and dry reusable pads, including a clothesline with a piece of
cloth to cover these materials while drying. See Tool two for an expanded checklist for assessing
whether facilities are female-friendly.
•• Assess the menstrual waste disposal management plans, if available. The following can serve as guiding
questions to gather information (see the checklist on the management of menstrual waste under Tool
two for more details):
˚˚ Who manages the disposal process?

Are women and girls able to dispose of their menstrual materials in a private and safe manner?
˚˚ How often are containers for waste emptied?

˚˚ Where does the waste go?
˚˚ What methods of disposal of menstrual waste are adopted (for example, burying, incineration,
˚˚ disposal into a pit, or composting)? Are cultural taboos considered in the disposal systems?
•• Assess the availability and affordability of sanitary materials. If possible, collect data on the types of
sanitary materials most commonly used by women and girls in the area. Examine the supply chain of
materials. Explore the sanitary products that are available in the local market, and identify any local
private sector providers of sanitary materials. Find out whether sanitary materials are tax-free. To the
extent possible, assess the willingness to pay for them. Examine whether schools, HCFs, or local
charities have provisions to distribute or facilitate access to sanitary pads. Identify any NGOs and

other groups supporting women’s enterprises producing and marketing low-cost menstrual pads.
(See the checklist on working with social enterprises under Tool two for more details).
Software
•• Identify any interventions that raise awareness or change behavior among the community in the project
area of MHH. Such interventions may range from offering trainings to village and community health
workers on the importance of MHH; overcoming the stigma surrounding menstruation; educating
men and boys about MHH issues; supporting women’s and youth groups with information on MHH;
distributing low-cost sanitary products; and so on. In some contexts, existing WASH programs may
already include behavior change components on sanitation and hygiene issues, into which a focus on
MHH could be integrated. Identify whether the interventions are carried out by government pro-
grams, NGOs, or private-sector enterprises. If there are no local awareness programs, explore whether
there are such programs in any other part of the country that could be applied to the project area. (See
checklist on conducting behavior change campaigns under Tool two for more details).
•• Explore the potential for collaboration with programs in other sectors, such as education, health, com-
munity development, or sexual and reproductive health.
•• Assess whether MHH education is incorporated in the schools and, if so, how.
˚˚ so, which age groups are targeted? Are both girls and boys included?
Is education related to puberty, the menstrual cycle, or reproductive health taught in schools? If
˚˚ cleaning, changing, washing, and disposal of menstrual materials) offered to pubescent schoolgirls?
Are education and demonstrations on hygiene practices for managing menstruation (for example,
˚˚ Do teachers and implementers receive training on comprehensive puberty education?

Do girls’ clubs and peer education groups exist on MHH?
˚˚ If MHH is not taught at school, assess the scope for its incorporation into school curriculum or
˚˚ health education programs.
•• Assess MHH coverage at HCFs.
˚˚ Do they distribute MHH materials?

Do WASH facilities provide sanitation materials and a disposal bin?
˚˚ Do they offer health education on MHH?

˚˚ Do they have community outreach programs on hygiene that include MHH?
˚˚
Conduct Gender-Sensitive MHH Needs Assessment
•• Identify any gender gaps that MHH initiatives could help reduce. Focus on gaps in human endowments
(education and health); more and better jobs; ownership and control of assets; and women’s voice
and agency (see the four pillars from the World Bank Gender Strategy) (World Bank 2015). For exam-
ple, if women have more limited employment opportunities, loans and training for local women to
produce sanitary napkins could contribute to reducing the gap while making more low-cost men-
strual materials available to women. (see checklist on conducting a gender needs assessment under
Tool two for a list of questions to ask).

•• Conduct assessment to understand the cultural beliefs, experiences, awareness, attitudes, and practices
of the users of sanitation facilities, particularly those of women and girls. Such contextual knowledge
is important to successfully integrate MHH in WASH programs and maximize user uptake. The local
culture (including any taboos and restrictions associated with menstruation) and policy environment
may dictate which WASH strategies are appropriate and should inform the design of an MHH strategy.
Ensure you talk to a wide range of users, including boys and men, women and girls with disabilities,
and women and girls from different economic classes and ethnic and religious groups. Reach out to
local organizations that work with women, girls, youth, people with disabilities, and ethnic and other
minority groups.
•• Great care is needed when asking questions about menstruation. Given the taboos and stigma associated
with menstruation, questions must be approached in a sensitive and culturally appropriate manner
(for example, conduct separate discussions with men and women; hold consultations in private and
safe spaces; and phrase questions in culturally appropriate terms). It is important to ensure that the
research does no harm, does not offend local people, and does not inadvertently reinforce gender
stereotypes. An appropriate data collection methodology must be adopted to ensure safety, comfort,
and ease of participants in the given context. Such methods should include in-depth interviews and
focus group discussions with diverse users but can also incorporate more innovative methods, such
as participatory design sessions, schematic maps in which users interact and highlight issues, and
visioning exercises.3
•• Primary areas of inquiry. To investigate the range of personal challenges girls and women may face
during their menstruation and to understand the attitudes and beliefs about menstruation by the
wider community, the following should be included as primary areas of inquiry:
˚˚ should cover issues such as the conditions of the facilities, including the perceived safety
Experience and perception of the quality of the current school and/or HCF WASH facilities. This
and privacy; the challenges faced in managing menstruation; and the availability and quality
of sanitary material. It should also examine how these MHH challenges have affected school
attendance and completion, use of HCF and other public spaces, and self- esteem. This area
of inquiry should also include the perceptions of men and boys on their understanding of the
experiences and challenges faced by menstruating women and girls. Target groups for this area
of inquiry should include at minimum adolescent girls and boys, teachers, HCF staff, and male
and female users of HCFs.
˚˚ of pads do they prefer? Are there differences in preferences across different age groups? Are they
Affordability and willingness to pay for sanitary material. Can they afford sanitary pads? What kinds
willing to pay for sanitary pads, or do other products have higher priority? How satisfied are they
with the pads they can afford?
˚˚ Explore local beliefs and practices associated with menstruation. Ask whether and, if so, how
Knowledge and attitudes about the processes of menstruation and its role in reproductive health.
menstruation is explained by parents, teachers, health workers, and others in the community.
Ask whether the school curriculum teaches about puberty, the menstrual cycle, and sexual and

reproductive health. Target groups for this area of inquiry should include at minimum adolescent
girls and boys, parents, teachers, community leaders, and HCF staff.
˚˚ practices, including local customs, beliefs, taboos, and stigma regarding menstruation. Are girls
Social norms, beliefs, and practices associated with menstruation. Explore the traditional MHH
and women prohibited from participating in any activities during menstruation? Are there any
taboos regarding disposal of menstrual materials? How do these beliefs and practices affect their
self-esteem? Target groups for this area of inquiry should include a wide sample of the community,
including local and religious leaders and representatives.
˚˚ clean themselves? Do the taboos and other beliefs guide any of their actions? Are they aware of
Menstrual hygiene behavior. How do women and girls manage their monthly menstrual flow and
health risks of unsafe MHH behavior? What challenges do they face?
˚˚ discussions should have the opportunity to express what they think would help women and girls
Users’ recommendations for improving girls’ and women’s experiences. All participants in the
during their menses. Recommendations by users could cover areas such as the ideal design of
facilities (for example, the preferred safety and privacy measures, the most favorable setup to
change and dispose of sanitary products, and so on); the preferred menstrual materials (considering
product availability and cost); the types of communication campaigns needed to break taboos;
and the support structures in schools and communities that would help the experience of women
and girls.
Recommendations for Entry Points and Measures to Address MHH

•• Based on the findings from all of the previous assessments (the desk review of existing frameworks,
resources, and data regarding MHH; the findings from the onsite observations of gaps in the institu-
tional WASH facilities; and the findings from the users’ needs assessment), the consultant is expected
to identify the most relevant and feasible entry points to address MHH in the project context and
suitable measures and approaches.
Hardware
•• Propose measures that would improve sanitation facility responses to the MHH needs of women and girls.
Apply human-centered design (HCD)4 to place women and girls actively in the center of the facility
design choices. Consider differences in design needed when infrastructure is being newly constructed
versus when already existing infrastructure needs to be rehabilitated (making modifications early is
far easier than correcting errors after infrastructure is built, so ideally MHH design is incorporated
into the WASH infrastructure design). Upgrading existing infrastructure might involve retrofitting
some features that increase security (such as adding adequate lighting and locks), changing the
female-to-male seats ratio, adding an accessible gender-neutral toilet, or revamping the management
model. Consider also the needs specifically of menstruating people with disabilities. Measures can
draw on and adapt from the design models developed by other international organizations (see Tool
four for design models for MHH).5

•• Explore options to facilitate access to adequate sanitary materials. This could be directly or via the
market. If there are small-scale local enterprises producing pads, identify possible avenues to link
these enterprises to women and girls, either privately or through the school and HCF structures.
Consider the scope for an impact bond to be piloted, which would rely on private investors and pro-
viders to implement MHH interventions. Also, consider the feasibility of financial, tax, and subsidy
support. Employ HCD to place women and girls actively in the center of the design and distribution of
sanitary materials. Also, consider entrepreneurship opportunities for women in the production and
marketing of these materials.6 Ensure that all options are based on the views expressed by women
and girls on preferred materials and ways of cleaning and disposing.7
•• When proposing measures for improvement, consider also the adequate operations and maintenance
systems required for the sustainability of the sanitation facilities. Identify a budget and arrange-
ment plan for cleaning and upkeep. For instance, will there be a designated caretaker or firm
responsible for operation and maintenance of the facilities? If appropriate for the context,
consider introducing a maintenance system (for example, school hygiene committees) for

maintaining WASH facilities and hygiene promotion. Calculate the likely daily costs (for example,
c aretaker salaries and materials, including cleaning materials) and periodic costs (for example,
cost of emptying toilet).8
Software
•• Identify actionable ways to raise awareness and knowledge on MHH among the community in the project
area. Target groups for this could include teachers, HCF staff, parents, boys and men, and women’s
and girls’ organizations and networks. Draw on insights gleaned from the gaps and gender-sensitive
MHH needs assessment to ensure that the educational components are tailored to the local condi-
tions and needs and address any local taboos or stigma associated with menstruation. If WASH train-
ings and behavior change initiatives already exist for students and staff, propose ways of adding
information specifically on MHH. Actions could include training teachers on comprehensive puberty
education; connecting community health workers to schools and the community; and creating peer
education and girls’ clubs to promote safe spaces for women and girls and to disseminate information
about MHH.9 Identify potential opportunities to partner with other actors and organizations working
in the field.10
•• If there is scope for incorporation of MHH education into the school curriculum or in health education
programs, propose a strategy for doing so. Qualitative findings from the gender- sensitive MHH needs
assessment should indicate which aspects of MHH need particular attention in the project area (these
could range from education on puberty and the menstrual cycle for boys and girls, information on
hygienic practices for managing menstruation for women and girls, engaging boys and men and
mobilizing the community to dispel cultural myths and taboos, and so on). In designing a school cur-
riculum that integrates MHH, the consultant may draw on guidelines and toolkits developed by
numerous organizations on how to work with schools.11

Deliverables
The consultant will deliver the following outputs at the indicated times:
1. A short inception report: [5 to 10] days after contract signing, including:
a. Proposed approach to the assignment, including any constraints to the assignment with proposed
mitigation measures
b. Brief description of data/resources gathered or identified
c. Proposed methods of collaboration and engagement with stakeholders that will be used to access
the required data, as well as the method for selection of key informants and focus group discussion
participants
d. A staffing plan (if applicable), including position descriptions, level of effort for each position, and
summaries of the qualifications of proposed staff
e. A detailed work plan, including the schedule for completion of all tasks and staff responsible for
each task (if applicable)
2. Draft report: [1 to 3] weeks after contract signing, covering all aspects described in scope of work,
including:
a. An overview of the existing data and initiatives on MHH in the project area
b. Assessment outlining the gaps in MHH provisions in schools and/or HCFs
c. An MHH needs assessment outlining the experiences and needs of WASH facility users, particularly
of girls and women
d. A list of recommendations on entry points and priority actions/measures the project should adopt
to ensure the needs of menstruating women and girls are addressed
3. Final report: [1 to 2] weeks after receiving comments on draft report
Contract Administration
The assignment is expected to require a level of effort of [insert number] days. The consultant will report
to [insert name, title, and unit of task manager].
Sample required qualifications:

•• Master’s degree in civil, sanitation, or environmental engineering; social sciences; health; education;
gender studies; or other relevant field of study
•• Ten years of work experience in WASH programs in schools, HCFs, and other public spaces, such as
markets and workplaces
•• Extensive knowledge of the school, HCF, and WASH institutional settings in the project country
•• At least three years of experience conducting assessments of water and sanitation programs in the
project country (experience in the project location preferred)
•• Demonstrated expertise on gender in the project
•• Expertise in MHH preferred

•• Experience in conducting qualitative data collection, including in-depth interviews, key informant
interviews, and focus group discussions
•• Experience compiling and analyzing existing quantitative data sets (as required for the project)
•• Proven strong analytical skills and ability to produce clear and concise reports
•• Fluent in written and spoken English [and insert other languages required]
Notes
1. See UNICEF 2019a (particularly chapter 2.3) for guidance on collecting evidence on MHH; see also WaterAid, WSUP, and UNICEF 2018 for
guidance on a citywide assessment.
2. See, for instance, Columbia University and IRC 2017 (chapter 7); Save the Children 2015; UNICEF 2019a (pillar 3); and WaterAid 2012, 2019.
3. For guidance on conducting a needs assessment, see Columbia University and IRC 2017 (chapter 3); for guidance on conducting qualitative
data collection on a diversity of stakeholders, see UNICEF and Emory University 2013; see also Save the Children 2015 (appendixes A and F).
4. HCD is a an approach that places beneficiaries and stakeholders at the center of the design and implementation process, engaging them in
the steps of identifying issues and finding solutions (USAID 2020). . For innovative examples of HCD in relation to MHH, see Duke-UNICEF
Innovation Accelerator 2019.
5. For more on design features of female-friendly and accessible facilities, see Columbia University and IRC 2017 (chapter 7); UNICEF 2019a
(particularly Pillar 4); WaterAid 2019; and WaterAid, WSUP, and UNICEF 2018.
6. See World Bank 2017a, which provides a feminine hygiene products model with examples of its use in Bangladesh and several countries in
Africa.
7. For guidance on how to facilitate access to menstrual products, see Columbia University and IRC 2017 (chapter 4); UNICEF 2019a (particu-
larly pillar 5); and WaterAid 2012 (module three and toolkit 3). See also UNICEF 2019b, a separate guide on menstrual hygiene products.
8. For considerations in assessing the waste management structures, see Columbia University and IRC 2017 (chapter 8); UNICEF 2019b;
UNICEF and Emory University 2013 (for checklists on assessing waste disposal systems); and WaterAid 2012 (module three and toolkit 3).
9. See WaterAid 2012 for more guidance on working with the community in raising awareness (particularly module four and toolkit 4). See also
Columbia University and IRC 2017 (chapter 9) and UNICEF 2019a on building skills and capacity (chapter 3.2).
10. See UNICEF 2019a for guidance on building partnerships (chapter 3.3).
11. For guidance on including MHH into the school curriculum, see Columbia University and IRC 2017 (particularly chapters 3, 10, and 11);
Emory University, UNGEI, and UNICEF 2015; UNESCO 2014; UNICEF 2019a (pillar 2); and WaterAid 2012 (particularly module five and
toolkit 5).

Tool 7
Annotated List of Menstrual Health and
Hygiene Resources
Author/Organization Title Content and Intended Users

Global Resources
Columbia University A Toolkit for Integrating This toolkit provides guidance to support organizations and agencies seeking
and IRC Menstrual Health and to rapidly integrate MHH into existing programming in emergency responses.
2017 Hygiene (MHH) into The toolkit focuses on multiple sectors, including WASH, education,
Humanitarian Response health, protection, shelter, waste management, materials and supplies, and
vulnerable populations. For each sector, it presents key assessment questions,
case studies, design considerations, and resources for monitoring and
feedback. Although the toolkit is targeted at humanitarian responses, many of
its recommendations can be applied to any context.
Emory University, WinS4Girls Distance The WinS4Girls e-course was designed to help strengthen the capacity of
UNGEI, and UNICEF Learning Course Book WASH practitioners and policy makers to carry out rigorous research that
2015 and Materials investigates local MHH practices and challenges. It includes step-by-step
modules for planning formative research into MHH.
Save the Children Menstrual Hygiene The guidelines focus on three stages of MHH programing in schools:
2015 Management: conducting an MHH situation analysis, designing an MHH program, and
Operational Guidelines monitoring and evaluating an MHH program. Each chapter has corresponding
appendixes that provide detailed guidance. The guidelines address the
sensitivity of discussions associated with reproduction and the need to
overcome social stigma and taboos associated with menstruation and puberty.
UNESCO 2014 Puberty Education and This guideline describes good policies and practices regarding puberty
Menstrual Hygiene education and MHH. It encourages a holistic approach to health promotion,
Management starting with education, creation of healthy environments, and links to
health services. It puts forth a vision of puberty education that is skills-
based, inclusive, and comprehensive. It is part of a comprehensive sexuality
education curriculum, which is part of a larger health curriculum, which is an
integral part of a comprehensive school health approach.
UNICEF 2019a Guidance on Menstrual This guidance focuses on the processes of designing and supporting programs
Health and Hygiene related to MHH at a national and subnational level. It focuses on areas such
as the process of supporting government leadership, carrying out situation
analysis, building an evidence base, and estimating program costs. It also
provides an overview of the global monitoring and evaluation framework
of MHH. Among other things, the guidance examines the specific strategies
needed to reach girls and women in vulnerable situations, including
transgender females with disabilities.
UNICEF 2019b Guide to Menstrual This guide provides instructions on the selection and procurement of
Hygiene Materials appropriate materials and supplies for MHH, particularly during a humanitarian
response. It provides technical specification for each material and highlights
the environmental, health, and financial aspects of each.

UNICEF and Emory Tools for Assessing This toolkit presents tools on how to conduct assessments on MHH. The tools
University 2013 Menstrual Health and include questions for focus group discussions, in-depth interviews, and key
Hygiene in Schools informant interviews to be held with girls, boys, mothers, teachers, and school
administrators. Questions cover topics ranging from policy, cultural beliefs,
and WASH conditions to relationships with teachers and parents, knowledge,
and biological factors. Applying the tools helps with understanding the needs
of girls who are menstruating at school and informing a set of minimum
standards. The tools were tested in Bolivia, the Philippines, Rwanda, and
Sierra Leone.
WaterAid 2012 Menstrual Hygiene This resource supports the development of context-specific information for
Matters: A Manual for improving practices for women and girls in managing their menstruation. It
Improving Menstrual brings together examples of good menstrual hygiene practice from around
Hygiene around the the world related to policies, strategies, programs, and interventions. It offers
World modules and toolkits on a range of topics, including working in schools,
communities, emergency situations, and materials.
WaterAid 2019 Technical Guidelines This document provides technical guidelines for designing, constructing, and
for Construction of maintaining institutional and public toilets. It provides practical guidance that
Institutional and Public is generally applicable across different countries and contexts, highlights
Toilets critical features that must be included to avoid mistakes, and is easily
understood by both designers and builders. These guidelines may be useful
for local authorities in towns and cities in charge of public and institutional
toilets, national governments, public and private service providers, NGOs,
donors, and civil society organizations.
WaterAid, WSUP, and Female-Friendly Public The guide is designed primarily for use by local authorities in towns and cities
UNICEF 2018 and Community Toilets: who are in charge of public and community toilets. The guide explains why
A Guide for Planners and toilets must be female-friendly before detailing the essential and desirable
Decision Makers features needed to make them so. It also suggests ways to increase gender
sensitivity in town planning on sanitation.
World Bank 2017a Changing the Lives This Innovation Note presents a business model to increase accessibility
of Women and Girls and affordability of feminine hygiene products and provide income for local
through Affordable women entrepreneurs who produce and market them. Social enterprises,
Feminine Hygiene NGOs, and the private sector provide loans, equipment, and training and
Products conduct MHH awareness raising. It discusses assessing the potential market,
revenue streams, financial viability, cost-effectiveness, and scaling up. It
provides examples of selling points, numbers of women and girls provided
access, and social enterprises operating in India and several African countries.
Country-Level Resources
India, Ministry of Menstrual Hygiene These national guidelines, produced with the help of UNICEF India for the
Drinking Water and Management: National Swachh Bharat Mission, aim to support all adolescent girls and women. They
Sanitation 2015 Guidelines outline what needs to be done by state governments, district administrations,
engineers and technical experts in line departments, and school heads
and teachers. The guidelines focus on “who needs to know what, why, and
how;” “providing adolescent girls with menstrual health and hygiene choices;”
and “MHH infrastructure in schools and the safe disposal of menstrual waste.”
SPLASH 2015 Menstrual Hygiene This toolkit was designed to help teachers, school health and nutrition
Management Toolkit coordinators, and other school personnel in Zambian primary schools carry out
MHH programs or activities in their schools.

WaterAid 2018 Developing a The tool examines the extent to which WASH facilities in HCFs are user-
Participatory friendly. The tool uses a participatory approach to gather perspectives of
Management Tool and HCF clients and staff and uses the information to make changes in WASH
Technical Designs for infrastructure, management, and practices to meet the needs of different
User-Friendly WASH in types of clients. It also describes the process used to develop the tool.
Healthcare Facilities
Improving Health Facilitator’s Guide: USAID-funded manual prepared for the Ministry of Health, India with training
Behaviors Program Social and Behavior of trainer sessions on key elements of SBCC.
2013 Change Communication:
Training for Information,
Education, and
Communication Officers
WSSCC and the WASH and Health for This guideline focuses largely on campaigning and raising public awareness
Government of India Menstrual Hygiene on MHH in India. It is designed to be used by service providers, extension and
2013b Management: Training community workers, teachers, parents, and peers in their efforts to reach out
of Trainers Manual to large numbers of women and girls in an efficient and effective way without
compromising on quality and message.
Note: HCF = health care facility; MHH = menstrual health and hygiene; NGO = nongovernmental organization; SBCC = social and behavior
change communication; WASH = water supply, sanitation, and hygiene.

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Cover design: Jean Franz, Franz and Company, Inc.

Tool 1: Fact Sheet on Menstrual Health and Hygiene 3

Tool 3: Tackling Affordability, Accessibility, and Safety of Menstrual Products through

Tool 4: Examples of Construction Plans for Female-Friendly Sanitation Facilities 29

Tool 5: Measuring Results on Menstrual Health and Hygiene 33

Menstrual Health and Hygiene Resource Package iii

Tool 7: Annotated List of Menstrual Health and Hygiene Resources  51

iv Menstrual Health and Hygiene Resource Package

Menstrual Health and Hygiene Resource Package v

DPF Development Policy Financing

HCD human-centered design

HCF health care facility

JMP Joint Monitoring Programme

KAP knowledge, attitudes, and practice

MHH menstrual health and hygiene

MHM menstrual hygiene management

MICS Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey

NGO nongovernmental organization

P4R Program for Results

PMA2020 Performance Monitoring and Accountability 2020

SBCC social and behavior change communication

SHE Sustainable Health Enterprises

SMART specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound

SME small and medium-sized enterprise

TOR terms of reference

UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund

VAT value-added tax

WASH water supply, sanitation, and hygiene

WHO World Health Organization

Menstrual Health and Hygiene Resource Package vii

Menstrual Health and Hygiene Resource Package 1

2 Menstrual Health and Hygiene Resource Package

Why Does MHH Matter?

Attention to MHH Matters on Many Levels

Menstrual Health and Hygiene Resource Package 3

BOX 1.1. The Impacts of COVID-19 on Menstrual Health and Hygiene

4 Menstrual Health and Hygiene Resource Package

Educational Impacts of Inadequate MHH

Menstrual Health and Hygiene Resource Package 5

Sexual and Reproductive Health Impacts of Inadequate MHH

and thrush (WaterAid 2012).

6 Menstrual Health and Hygiene Resource Package

Economic Impacts of Inadequate MHH

Environmental Impacts of Inadequate MHH

Menstrual Health and Hygiene Resource Package 7

design and sanitary materials choices

system can support WASH with MHH

• Providing psychosocial support for menstruating girls in schools and HCFs

• Promoting market development to increase access to affordable sanitary pads

attribution to this work is given.

Tool 7: Annotated List of Menstrual Health and Hygiene Resources 51