People who menstruate experience significant challenges managing their periods, especially in environments that do not support adequate menstrual hygiene management (MHM). For people who menstruate working outside the home, these challenges have implications for health, well-being, and economic outcomes.

To better understand the relationship between MHM and women’s economic empowerment, the USAID Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Partnerships and Learning for Sustainability (WASHPaLS) project conducted action research to determine if providing adequate MHM in the workplace contributes to improved business and social outcomes. This session will present key findings from the action research in two workplaces in Kenya. The session will also describe the intervention and research design, including a novel social cost-benefit analysis study that sought to build the business case for improving workplace MHM.

Date: Thursday, March 3, 2022
Time: 12:30pm to 1.30pm East Africa Time
Topic: USAID/WASHPaLS Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) in the workplace

Please register through this link: https://forms.gle/EBhD2pkMUDhK5w2w6
After registering in advance, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Let’s keep the conversation going on Twitter, LinkedIn & Facebook

Our Speakers

1. Dr. Whitney Fry (Iris Group) - Lead Presenter

Dr. Whitney Fry is a global health and gender specialist, with a particular focus on applied social science research and positive systems change. Based in Nairobi, Kenya, Dr. Fry is a Senior Associate at Iris Group and offers facilitation, research, and technical assistance to Iris Group clients.

Dr. Fry is motivated by untethered curiosity and a matured belief in innate human dignity, both of which guide her work in research-to-practice efforts around the globe. She seeks to understand processes and co-develop systems that promote equity and health for marginalized populations. Technical areas of expertise include sexual and reproductive health, gender-based violence and masculinities, menstrual health and hygiene, and gender equality and social inclusion.

Dr. Fry holds a BA in biology from Taylor University (2003), an MPH in International Health and Complex Emergencies from Tulane University (2006), and a DrPH in Health Policy and Management from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2016).

2. Dr. Jake Eaton

Dr. Jake Eaton is Senior Associate at Iris Group with over 10 years of experience in international development, global nutrition, and education. As a mixed methods researcher, he has worked to pilot Iris Group's System Approaches to Social Inclusion (SASI) methodology in Jordan, led an evaluation of a social norms change intervention in Tanzania, and provided technical assistance on a variety of WASH projects, including leading the cost-benefit analysis portion of the MHM in the Workplace project.

Dr. Eaton holds BAs in Anthropology and English from Tufts University and an MPH and PhD in Public Health Sciences, both from Washington University in St. Louis.

3. Joan Njagi

Joan Njagi is a sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) research consultant with a multi-disciplinary background in child and youth in development, SRHR, gender, social and population policy, psychology and education.

Ms. Njagi has an M.A in Population, Poverty and Social Development from the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS) of the Erasmus University, Rotterdam, a second M.A. in Education and International Development from the University College London, and is currently a PhD candidate in Development Studies at the ISS, Erasmus University. Her research interests center on understanding the interface of sexual and reproductive health, contextual social norms and structural power relations, education, technology and social well-being for young people, adolescent girls and young women, including menstrual hygiene management (MHM).

Ms. Njagi has more than 15 years’ work experience researching, designing, implementing and managing projects on issues predominantly affecting children and youth including child rights and protection, education, gender and SRHR. She has written extensively on these topics, including blog entries on MHM in Kenya and peer reviewed journal articles on SRHR more broadly.

Ms. Njagi has worked in research roles at the African Population and Health Research Center and the Society for International Development and consulted for several development agencies including UNFPA, Plan International UK and CREA. She was recently engaged by Iris Group as a Country Research Advisor for USAID’s WASHPALs MHM in the Workplace Action Research Project.