Menstrual Hygiene Management

This project aims to promote health and good menstrual hygiene management among young girls and women through education, the production and distribution of reusable sanitary pads. These pads, which last 3-5 years, can be worn with or without underwear and come in three sizes: large, medium, and small.

We utilize a multi-faceted approach to advance menstrual health: community sensitization through roadshows and radio broadcasts, payment plans for VSLA members who wish to purchase Agateka pads, and free distribution drives of pads in schools and to vulnerable groups, such as those in hospitals and refugee camps. So far, the project has impacted girls and women in Bujumbura, Cibitoke, Gitega, Karusi, Kirundo, Makamba, Muyinga, Ngozi, and Ruyigi.

This project aims to enhance knowledge about sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). We educate, raise awareness, and inform the population to improve their SRH and provide SRH services at the Gatumba Health Centre.  Our approaches include mass education via an SMS platform with a toll-free number, allowing users to receive messages directly on their mobile phones and ask questions privately. The youth receive messages based on “The World starts with me” module from the Ministry of Education, while adults receive content from the “Community Health Worker's Handbook” by the Directorate of Health Promotion. We also produce educational videos and organize roadshows specifically tailored to illiterate populations.

This project aims to enhance communication between parents and children, encouraging youth to rely on their parents for accurate information regarding SRH. We hope to reduce the spread of misinformation among peers and improve parent-child communication on SRH, helping to reduce unwanted pregnancies and STIs. The beneficiaries of the project are student peer educators and their parents in Karusi and Ngozi.

This project aims to improve hygiene, health, and SRH education in schools. Inspired by UNICEF’s and GIZ's  "three-star school" approach, we promote a shift in perceptions and practices, urging schools to evolve from zero-star to three-star status by focusing on hygiene. We train and equip school guardians, establish school clubs through which we educate and raise awareness, and assess the schools’ needs for water and sanitation facilities, which are addressed through the Isuku project. We operate in all regions where we have community centres and in partnership with the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Public Health and fight against AIDS.

This project aims to improve hygiene, access to water, and sanitation in communities by facilitating the building and rehabilitation of WASH facilities. Beneficiaries include families of members of our VSLAs and some schools enrolled in the Ishure ry’inyenyeri project. The project operates in Bujumbura Rural, Cibitoke, Gitega, Karusi, Ngozi, Kirundo, Muyinga, Ruyigi, and Makamba.

This project focuses on promoting the financial independence of women and youth by teaching them financial literacy, and entrepreneurship, promoting the creation of VSLAs, and supporting income-generating activities. Women who are members of VSLAs also have access to self-directed payment plans when they wish to purchase Agateka reusable sanitary pads. We operate in Bujumbura, Gatumba, Cibitoke, Gitega, Karusi, Ngozi, Kirundo, Muyinga, Ruyigi, and Makamba.

Oky is the world’s first period-tracker app created by UNICEF for girls and with girls. It provides information about menstruation in fun, creative and positive ways, straight into girls’ hands through the tools they use every day – mobile phones. As OKY's main implementation partner in Burundi, we collaborated with multiple stakeholders including government Ministries, educators and Burundian girls to translate the app to Kirundi and adapt the user experience and content to local contexts.  The app is available for download on Google Play and the Apple App Store.