The Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection (MoGCSP) in collaboration with the Adolescent Girls Advisory Panel with supported from partners, will commemorate World Menstrual Hygiene Day today, May 28, 2024.
The WMH day will be observed under the Global Theme: “Creating a World where every Individual has access to Safe and Dignified Menstrual Hygiene Management,” while Liberia will mark the day under the national theme: “Menstrual is a Must, Let’s Make Menstrual Products Accessible, Affordable, and Create a Safe Environment for Hygiene Management.” World Menstrual Hygiene Day (MHD, MH Day) is an annual awareness day celebrated globally on May 28 to highlight the importance of good menstrual hygiene management worldwide.
The day was initiated by the German-based NGO WASH United in 2013 and first celebrated in 2014. May 28 was chosen as it correlates with the average menstrual cycle length of 28 days, with individuals menstruating approximately five days each month, and May being the fifth month of the year.
The day’s celebration is part of ongoing global efforts to break taboos and end the stigma surrounding menstruation, raise awareness about the challenges regarding access to menstrual products, educate about menstruation, and promote period-friendly sanitation facilities.
Recognizing the importance of this day’s celebration, the MoGCSP, through the Adolescent Girls Division in collaboration with the Adolescent Girls Advisory Panel, will bring together over 200 out-of-school adolescent girls from several slum communities in Montserrado County and its environs to observe the day by heightening awareness.
Madam Kula Bonah Nyei Fofana, Presidential Press Secretary and former Director of the Adolescent Girls Unit at the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, is expected to deliver a special statement at this year’s World Menstrual Hygiene Day.
Meanwhile, a special indoor program marking the official celebration of the day will take place on Tuesday, May 28, 2024, at the University of Liberia Fendell Campus, where speakers will enlighten first-time menstruators on menstrual health and hygiene promotion, the essence of the day, and distribute Menstrual Management packages including disposable sanitary pads and towels among others.
