Using a storybook to demystify Menstrual Health and Hygiene for Adolescent Girls and Boys
Innovative and creative way to educate boys & girls about menstrual hygiene and puberty
- Available in:
- English
- Bahasa Indonesia
Since 2018, UNICEF Indonesia - with support from KAO Corporation (through Japan National Committee) - has been empowering adolescent girls & boys with knowledge about menstrual hygiene management (MHM). Working with adolescent girls, boys, parents, teachers and religious leaders, UNICEF developed a MHM storybook as an innovative and creative way to educate boys & girls about menstrual hygiene and puberty.
In front of thousands of teachers and government officials gathered for Indonesian Teacher Day (28th November 2019), UNICEF handed over the MHM storybook to Bupati or the Head of Tangerang District, Ahmed Zaki Iskandar. While UNICEF centered its initial focus on 40 Junior Secondary Schools, including SMPN 2 Curug; Ahmed Zaki Iskandar, in his speech, requested all teachers and officials to use UNICEF’s storybook to promote MHM in their respective schools and homes.
SMPN 2 Curug is one of the best schools in Tangerang, Banten. Walking in, you immediately see how the school is well maintained and thoughtful of the needs of teachers, staff and students. To alumni of state-funded schools of years past, the improvements are very striking- spacious toilets for boys and girls, a hydroponic garden, and no sign of visible trash. It was also chosen as a pilot school for the Kurasaki (Kurangi Sampah di Sekolah – Reduce waste at school) program in 2017, and won Banten District’s competition for the school with the best sanitation.
MHM education is not new at SMPN 2 Curug. “Students now understand that menstruation is normal. I tell girls not to feel awkward during their period. They can still go to school and should feel comfortable with the facilities provided by the school. And I tell boys not to see it as something weird. ” said Cucu Sri Rahayu, the headmaster of SMPN 2 Curug.
“We make sure girls are comfortable during their period. We provide sanitary pads, a place to change their pads, running water,” explained the headmaster. The school also provides clean clothes for students if their clothing is stained. The UKS (Usaha Kesehatan Sekolah – School health Program) provides a place for girls to rest or lie down when they’re having cramps or just feel overwhelmed, and pain killers if needed.
“We have Health Cadres, members of PMR (Palang Merah Remaja –Red Cross Youth), present at school acting as peer educators, in case students are embarrassed to approach teachers,” explained Ahmad Maulana, a UKS counselor. “These girl cadres understand what to do if their friends have problems with their period,” he added.
SMPN 2 Curug teachers and staff deserve applause for their MHM efforts. However, misconceptions on reproductive health, puberty and menstruation persist. Take Aimar, a 7th grade student. During the Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (KAP) study conducted by UNICEF in October 2019, he not only felt uncomfortable talking about menstruation, but also thought it should not be discussed openly. “It’s embarrassing to discuss such topics with girls!” said Aimar, when asked about sitting in the same class as girls learning about reproductive health. It’s not that adolescents reject the knowledge, but the stigma surrounding reproductive health and menstruation makes it hard to have an open conversation, especially for teenagers.
Aimar is just one of many cases highlighted in the study - spanning 25 schools across Tangerang District - that showed much work still remains in ensuring girls & boys possess correct information regarding menstruation. Only one in five girls (21%) knows that it should be fine to engage in physical activity during their period - compared to 10% of boys who know this. Myth around menstruation persist as most girls (77%) also believe Satan will haunt them if they don’t properly dispose of the sanitary pad. Interestingly, more boys (65%) than girls (52%) correctly identify menstruation as a sign a girl is biologically able to become pregnant.Aimar is just one of many cases highlighted in the study - spanning 25 schools across Tangerang District - that showed much work still remains in ensuring girls & boys possess correct information regarding menstruation. Only one in five girls (21%) knows that it should be fine to engage in physical activity during their period - compared to 10% of boys who know this. Myth around menstruation persist as most girls (77%) also believe Satan will haunt them if they don’t properly dispose of the sanitary pad. Interestingly, more boys (65%) than girls (52%) correctly identify menstruation as a sign a girl is biologically able to become pregnant.
These findings show that menstruation is not openly discussed in school, a situation that can negatively impact girls who are menstruating. “I feel uncomfortable sometimes when I have my period at school. I’m afraid I might stain my skirt. And boys may tease you if they know you’re on your period,” said Maisya, a grade 8 student.
Inadequate information causes stigma, unfriendly behavior, teasing, and misconceptions about menstruation, among other things.
A key to addressing this is delivering the right information in effective audience-appropriate ways; and this storybook is but one education vehicle in UNICEF Indonesia’s MHM program.
