Assessing Pure Water for the World’s Menstrual Hygiene Management Program in Honduran Schools

Pure Water for the World’s Menstrual Hygiene Management program aims at improving knowledge of menstrual health. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the MHM program in schools for menstruating girls, non-menstruating girls, boys, and teachers. Surveys and focus groups conducted in Trojes community schools have concluded that PWW’s MHM program has improved knowledge amongst teachers and menstruating girls. The knowledge of school-aged boys and non-menstruating girls though can still be improved. Of the 209 students surveyed, 49% reported that they had knowledge of the menstrual cycle and menstrual hygiene. Although issues such as response bias could have played a role in this large proportion of students without knowledge of menstruation, the number of students who benefited from the education and training has increased. It is recommended that the teachers use a pre-/post-test system to track the results of the MHM programs in their classrooms. By 6th grade, the students should be receiving lessons on menstruation, sexual health, puberty, and other topics amongst all genders. We recommend that PWW creates a partnership with an organization focused on nutrition to create a program in the schools geared towards menstruating girls, as study results indicate that this is an area of concern. PWW should work more closely with the Ministry of Health to ensure that the importance of menstrual hygiene and sexual health are relayed to the teachers as a way to de-stigmatize menstruation and empower teachers to provide accurate information.