On 28th May 2022, the world celebrated Menstrual Hygiene Day.
Alongside a number of activities and events this year, AFRIpads supported The Wellbeing Foundation and My Period is Awesome to undergo the infamous Menstrual Shebang.
The Menstrual Shebang is a Fashion Show which launched in 2021 with an aim to start a conversation about menstruation and showcase how we can get creative with these issues. This year, the fashion show has widened its scope to celebrate Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) – seven fashion designers have created outfits in line with SRHR and MHH topics.
All funds raised from the Fashion Show went to support the girls at the Menstrual Station with MHH supplies, education and “period friendly” toilets and spaces.
Alongside donating 100 AFRIpads Schoolgirl Kits and Underwear to the Wellbeing Foundation’s Kisenyi Menstrual Station, we took the opportunity to go backstage and meet the models and fashion designers and provide them with basic Menstrual Health and Hygiene training as well as gift them all with AFRIpads products.
Shyaka Lwanyaga Farid, (Founder of The Wellbeing Foundation) spoke to us after the MHH training backstage:
Our National Marketing and Communications Lead, Gertrude Adeker Emojong attended the Fashion Show at the Design Hub in Kampala and shared her experience:
“It was so exciting to see how The Wellbeing Foundation is using fashion to create awareness about Menstrual Health and Hygiene, especially on world Menstrual Hygiene day. We are very proud and excited to partner with them for this good cause.
As an MHH thought leader in the East African space, we choose to support the Menstrual Shebang Fashion Show because it is a great platform to communicate about menstruation to a wider audience. Together, through fashion, our aim is to normalize conversations around periods and break harmful stigma and taboos.
Personally, I am intrigued and amazed at the designer’s creativity in taking this topic and translating it into visually engaging works of art. It definitely is a must-watch for every menstruator.”
