Pilot testing and evaluation of a toolkit for menstrual hygiene management in emergencies in three refugee camps in Northwest Tanzania

Displaced adolescent girls and women face many challenges managing their monthly menstrual flow with dignityand comfort in various challenging settings around the world, such as refugee camps, informal settlements, andwhile in transit across geographies as they flee disaster or conflict. Menstrual hygiene management requires easyaccess to safe, private water and sanitation facilities, along with appropriate menstrual materials and supplies, discreetdisposal and waste management, and basic information on menstrual hygiene for displacement contexts. Yet, asignificant gap exists in terms of available guidance on effective, coordinated multi-sectoral approaches for a completemenstrual hygiene management response. This paper describes one effort to address this gap, the development andpilot testing of theMenstrual Hygiene Management in Emergencies Toolkitin three camps hosting Burundian andCongolese refugees in Northwest Tanzania. Multiple methods were used to evaluate the implementation of the toolkit,which included a process and endline evaluation. Key findings included the identification of content gaps in the drafttoolkit, the mapping out of a training and capacity building approaches needed for integrating menstrual hygienemanagement into ongoing programming, the relevancy and appropriateness of the guidance prescribed, and thepotential for novel approaches to be identified by both water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and non-WASH sectoractors subsequent to sufficient training. Important lessons from this exercise may be useful for the introduction of MHMprogramming into future global humanitarian response efforts.