Innovative Strategies for Providing Menstruation-Supportive Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Facilities: Learning from Refugee Camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh

There is growing attention to addressing the menstrual hygiene management (MHM) needs of the over 21 million displaced adolescent girls and women globally. Current approaches to MHM-related humanitarian programming often prioritize the provision of menstrual materials and information. However, a critical component of an MHM response includes the construction and maintenance of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities, including more female-friendly toilets. This enables spaces for menstruating girls and women to change, dispose, wash and dry menstrual materials; all of which are integral tasks required for MHM. A global assessment identified a number of innovations focused on designing and implementing menstruation-supportive WASH facilities in the Rohingya refugee camps located in Cox’s Bazar (CXB), Bangladesh. These pilot efforts strove to include the use of more participatory methodologies in the process of developing the new MHM-supportive WASH approaches. This study aimed to capture new approaches and practical insights on innovating menstrual disposal, waste management and laundering in emergency contexts through the conduct of a qualitative assessment in CXB.

Bibliographic information

Schmitt, M.L., Wood, O.R., Clatworthy, D., Rashid, S. F., Sommer, M. (2021). Innovative Strategies for Providing Menstruation-Supportive Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Facilities: Learning from Refugee Camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. Conflict and Health

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Camps (emergency or longer term) East Asia & Pacific English Gender transformative WASH Guidelines and manuals Menstrual Health and Hygiene (MHH)

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