On the 24th and 25th of August 2023, Tadwein for Gender Studies conducted a TOT training for 15 women and 15 men in Fayoum governorate, Sinnuris Center. The training aimed to enhance the skills of the trainees on developing advocacy messages for combating both FGM and child marriage. Moreover, the training also aimed at enhancing the capacity of the trainees or organizing awareness sessions within their local communities.
This booklet explains the terms Menstrual Cycle and Period Poverty. It clarifies that the menstrual cycle “is not a flaw” and that the menstrual cycle supplies are a necessity not a luxury. Dealing with homemade pads and the disposal of sanitary pads are also explained in this booklet.
This booklet highlights how parents, school teachers, and young girls deal whether positively or negatively with the symptoms of the menstrual cycle. The booklet also highlights the importance of accommodating girls during this period.
Press Release
New Partnership between Tadwein for Gender Studies and Shemsi
28 May, 2023
On the 28th of May and by International Menstrual Hygiene Day, Tadwein for Gender Studies launched a new partnership with Shemsi, the first brand in Egypt to manufacture and sell menstrual underwear “Period Underwear”.
Menstruation, or period, is a natural event and part of the menstrual cycle that occurs to nearly two billion girls and women at reproductive age around the globe. Menstruation occurs as part of the biological functioning of the female body. When no pregnancy occurs, the uterus sheds its inner lining (period) in preparation of a new lining in case a pregnancy occurs later on.
According to The World Bank, about 500 million women and girls worldwide, of which 107 million are in the MENA region suffer from menstrual or period poverty. The term “Period Poverty” refers to difficulty and/or lack of access to menstrual hygiene products. Poor access o menstrual products force women and girls to use unsafe alternatives exposing them adverse health consequences or even death.
Period poverty can affect women and girls in a variety of ways. Women and girls with poor access to menstrual products often feel embarrassed and/stigmatized. Moreover, period poverty often limits the freedom of girls forcing them to miss out on school, social events, sports activities and social events. On average, girls spend 2 to 4 days at home each month during menses. More than 98 million girls worldwide do not attend school during their menstrual period. Period poverty is directly linked with school dropouts. School dropouts increases the chances of girls being married as children or at an early age. UNESCO estimates that if all girls received secondary education, child marriage would fall by almost two-thirds. Period poverty can also affect women’s participation in the workforce, which can have significant economic implications for them and their families.
Being aware of the consequences of period poverty, Tadwein for Gender Studies signed an MoU with Shemsi to combine efforts in changing the negative perceptions towards the menstrual cycle, and to also ensure better health management of the menstrual period among the most vulnerable girls in need in Egypt.
Shemsi period underwear is environmentally friendly as it is washable and reusable. Shemsi underwear does not produce any waste and thus provides a sustainable and green solution for the waste disposal of single-use sanitary pads. Every year, an average of 45 billion sanitary pad is disposed worldwide.
This partnership is a result of the many awareness campaigns Tadwein for Gender Studies conducted over the past two years on the issue of period poverty. Tadwein for Gender Studies requested all related entities to avail period product to the most vulnerable and those in need in Egypt.
We call for all partners to exert joint efforts to combat period poverty through the provision of menstrual products to girls and women who are most in need and also through raising awareness on the importance of menstrual hygiene management and fighting stigma and myths related to the menstrual cycle. This will greatly affect the physical and mental well-being of girls and women in Egypt and will assist in achieving gender justice.
Tadwein for Gender Studies monitored and analyzed cases of femicide and suicide of women and girls during the period of January to March 2023. The cases to be analyzed were collected from the Egyptian newspapers.
Tadwein for Gender Studies launched “Ramadan Sexual Harassment” campaign in an attempt to shed light on the violations and harassment against women and girls in the streets during the holy month of Ramadan. During the month of Ramadan, women and girls are subjected to verbal harassment. Perpetrators use phrases of a religious nature in order to stigmatize women and abuse them just because they are in public.
In celebration of International Women’s Day, Tadwein for Gender Studies launched “Necessity, not a Luxury” campaign to the shed light on the issue of period poverty and raise awareness about the risks associated with not using sanitary pads due to their high cost.
In 2023, Tadwein for Gender Studies launched a new project titled “Feminist Fabric”. The project aims to combat GBV in Egypt through the establishment of a network of feminist initiatives from 8 Egyptian Governorates. Through this project, Tadwein for Gender Studies aspires to enhance the capacities and skills of these feminists’ initiatives, provide technical support to these initiatives to be able to strategically address the issue of GBV in their respective governorates, and mobilize resources and efforts for policy changes at the local level. To be able to achieve these objectives, the feminist initiatives were trained in Strategic Planning, Proposals Writing, and Digital Security.
Activities of this project specifically included:
Press release of the FGM Task Force on the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation
As more than half of the Egyptian population still supports the continuation of the crime of female genital mutilation and poor societal awareness towards the issue, Tadwein for Gender Studies launched, in conjunction with the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation, a campaign titled “Stop the Myth”. The campaign aimed to clarify the facts behind the major myths about FGM in Egypt.
