Solidarity Heals: Women to Women Health Workshops

BACKGROUND

UNFPA’s report “Menstrual Hygiene Management Among Refugee Women and Girls in Turkey” reveals that period poverty decreases school attendance rates among girls and young women. In disaster zones, access to menstrual products is not sustainable, and the number of girls experiencing menstruation for the first time during crises like earthquakes is notably high. Due to lack of information and products, many children are forced to leave school. In Adıyaman, one of the provinces severely affected by the earthquake, there is a need to provide education on sexual health, menstrual cycles, and the right to health to prevent school dropouts, reproductive health issues, and the spread of sexually transmitted infections related to period poverty.

PROJECT GOALS

• A needs analysis will be conducted to create a field-based map of needs related to sexual/reproductive health and period poverty.
• Educational content will be developed on sexual health, period poverty, and reproductive health.
• Hygiene kits including menstrual products will be prepared.
• Workshops will be organized for 300 women and 300 girls.
• Two one-minute animated videos will be produced on Sexual Health, Right to Health, Menstrual Cycle, and Reproductive Health.
• A workshop with the participation of 20 institutions will be held to ensure the sustainability of these efforts locally.
• A press release, flyers, and other visibility materials will be prepared.

PROJECT RESULTS

• At the beginning of the project, meetings were held with NGOs and local governments operating in the Kömür and Pınarbaşı districts of Adıyaman, as well as in container cities, to identify the necessary needs for implementation.
• A total of 20 training sessions were held for women and girls in the K1 Container City, Fatih Neighborhood Women's Center, AKEM, Yarmakaya, Paşa Hamlet, Kızılcahöyük, Kayacık, Kömür Town, Pınarbaşı Town, and Börgenek. These sessions addressed violence against women, gender, sexual health, and menstrual hygiene.
• 348 women and 174 girls participated in the training sessions. Following the training, a total of 1,000 hygiene kits and 1,000 informational brochures were distributed.
• Two animations, titled "Mindful Confusion About Sexual and Reproductive Health" and "Mindful Confusion About the Menstrual Cycle," were prepared and shared with the public. • At the closing workshop held in July, the impacts of the project were evaluated and presented to 19 participants from local NGOs.