Girls' Room for Better Menstrual Health Management
For Every Girl, Menstrual Hygiene Management
- Available in:
- English
- Mongolian
Ichinkhorloo Ulziiburen is a confident and energetic 17 years old girl who currently studies at the 11th grade of school in Uliastai, Zavkhan - one of the remotest provinces of Mongolia. She was born and raised in Otgon soum, located 100 km away from Uliastai, a capital of Zavkhan province. Her family is large, with four siblings.
While dormitory life was exciting for Ichinkhorloo, she had to experience her first menstruation at the dormitory. Fortunately, her older sister was there to support her during this crucial time. Having someone to confide in, made the transition easier. Ichinkhorloo now believes that sisterhood support is essential for young girls during this period of their lives.
However, Ichinkhorloo realizes that not all the girls in the dormitory were as fortunate as her. Traditionally, menstrual health hygiene is rarely discussed at home, especially in remote areas where most of these girls come from. This situation leaves girls very vulnerable. "I remember when I was a child, my older sister asked my mom about menstruation, and my mom told her she would find out on her own when the time comes," recalls Ichinkhorloo with a tinge of sorrow, while sitting on the comfortable couch in the Girls’ Room.
In 2022, Ichinkhorloo participated in six-hour training sessions organized by the Health Department of Zavkhan province in partnership with UNICEF Mongolia, which prepared her to become a certified Peer Trainer. Since then, she has visited three schools across three soums in Zavkhan province - Durwuljin, Zavkhanmandal, and Erdenekhairkhan - where she taught menstrual hygiene and reproductive health to over 60 students, including both girls and boys. She voluntarily took on the responsibility of managing the Girls' Room in her school dormitory, along with her two friends, with the aim of providing a supportive community for their dormmates, hoping to become like older sisters to them.
The girls maintain an information board in the Girls’ room where they regularly update new information about menstrual and reproductive health. Their last update was in February 2023, after attending a training session led by a health specialist from the Department of Health at Uliastai Provincial Governor’s Office.
The Girls' Room has a dedicated drawer stocked with sanitary pads, which is voluntarily refilled by the girls themselves. Previously, due to the dormitory's early closure and locking at 8 pm, girls were unable to access sanitary pads if they needed them at night. However, it is now accessible with the support and understanding of the domintory teachers and school management.
Inspired by this drawer, Uliastai soum’s school toilets now have a storage cabin installed for more girls to manage their menstruation.
UNICEF's support made the Girls’ Room a safe space where girls feel supported and empowered in managing their menstrual hygiene, leading to increased confidence and openness about menstruation.
"I remember getting my period during a math class at school. I was filled with dread as my teacher was a male and I expected him to be unsympathetic to my situation. But I took the courage to speak up and asked his permission to leave the class as I needed to get my sanitary pad. To my surprise, the teacher showed great understanding and allowed me to leave. It was a small but significant act of compassion that made a huge difference in my life." recalls, Ganchimeg Sharavjamts, a friend of Ichinkhorloo.
In fact, Ichinkhorloo and her friends have even noticed a positive change in attitudes of their male classmates towards menstruation. Before, the boys would mock a girl if they found out she was on her period. But now, they have become more understanding and supportive of the girls. The boys have shown a keen interest in learning about the menstrual journey and often ask how they can provide better support during those days.
The girls are thrilled to observe the shift in behavior among their male classmates. The negative associations surrounding menstruation are slowly diminishing. When asked about the reasons behind this change, Ichinkhorloo shared her experience in conducting training since the establishment of the Girls' Room, which have included boys and helped to foster more inclusive and empathetic understanding of menstrual health and hygiene.
"I believe it's crucial for boys to understand what girls experience during their period because they will become fathers to their daughters one day," Ichinkhorloo explained. "I wish my parents had educated me more about menstruation so that I wouldn't have been so scared when I first got my period. I will teach my daughter about menstruation from an early age."
This is Ichinkhorloo Ulziiburen’s menstrual hygiene management story and it is the story of many young girls in Mongolia.
UNICEF Mongolia established the "Dignity Room for Girls" known as the “Girls Room,” in the school dormitory in Uliastai in 2022 with funding from Maßvoll Stiftung under the aegis of Fondation de Luxembourg through UNICEF National Committee of Luxembourg. This project started in 2019 in the school dormitory of Bayan-Tsagaan soum, Bayankhongor province and has been successful in providing a safe and hygienic space for girls. Girls can easily manage their menstrual hygiene and addressing the broader needs of adolescent reproductive health.
UNICEF is using this successful initiative as evidence to replicate and scale up to nationwide and advocate for the Ministry of Education and Science to update school dormitory requirements to include menstrual hygiene issues.
For Every Girl, Menstrual hygiene management.
