Part II: It's that time of the month... (to break cycles of inequality)

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Speak Up
In my previous blog, I highlighted the period taboos across Africa. For part two of this topic, I want to draw attention to 'Speak Up'; an NGO based in Dakar, Senegal. By increasing awareness for sustainable development, this organisation catalyses leadership and policy change. Its name, 'Speak Up', acts as a short and snappy motivator for what has been a long-term issue: oppression (of African people and places). 

No Taboo Periods
This oppression disproportionately harms women. It manifests in gendered discrimination that hinders multiple dimensions of female life, one example being menstrual cycles. Therefore, in 2016, the Senegalese organisation launched a three-year campaign called 'No Taboo Periods'. Its aim was to break the cycle of inequality that perpetuates shame and fear during menstruation. By consequence, menstrual management could become a public health priority. 


Female development requires men
Education is leveraged as the key tool for changing opinion and enhancing menstrual knowledge. Many females lack the quality of information that allows them to handle their period with the dignity and safety that they deserve. In Dakar, Senegal, 83.56% of females were not supplied with information to welcome their first period. 

Equally, educating boys is crucial. Stigmatisation won't end until information becomes gender-mainstreamed and school environments gender-sensitive. Segregation in education will only manifest into a segregated society. 

Therefore, 'Speak Up' have established a 'Menstrual Hygiene Hub' in Pikine, Dakar. Girls, women, boys and men all convene to be synthesised on the topic. Importantly, the hub trains women to safely deal with their period and offers a 'safe space' where women can congregate, share their experiences and feel empowered. It works in partnership with the Health District of Pikine, to ensure that activities are informed by accuracy and integration. Both men and women have also received training on how to provide information to intellectually disabled persons, extending the level of inclusivity that this campaign offers.


Impact 
Crucially, this project is driven by women, for women. Individually and collectively, they have become a force of their own empowerment, challenging the Western notion of African women as passive victims. Quite the opposite, the local bottom-up approach of these women has been a national success. Tangible to 12,000 people, the campaign is dissolving the cycle of inequality one person at a time. 

Through its impressive influence, more than 300 sanitary kits have been dispensed to females, including those whom are physically challenged. In addition, approximately 22,000 community members (female and male) are now equipped with the information to facilitate women during their periods. 

Interestingly, I retrieved a lot of information about this campaign through the website: "nigeriahealthwatch.com". Despite being based in Senegal, it has the capacity and success rate of a project that can extend its reach even further. Horizontally, its impacts can resonate across the continent; vertically, within institutions. First comes a shift in information, then comes mindset and finally, infrastructure. 

For the women of Dakar, their time of the month has come... to break cycles of inequality. 

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