The results Outcome 3
Outcome 3: commitment of government and civil society Increased commitment
Out towards menstrual come health by the
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government and civil society in Bangladesh
This outcome is defined as the increased commitment towards menstrual health by the government and civil society in Bangladesh. As the Ritu programme is a temporary programme and the direct interventions were targeted at only one district in Netrokona, the commitment of government and civil society is key for improved menstrual health of all girls and women in Bangladesh.
National level advocacy To ensure a supportive policy environment for menstrual health of girls, national advocacy was an important element of the Ritu programme.
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Contribution to outcome 3 The programme evaluation states that the MHM Platform is found to be well-coordinated and has a very strong core committee that supervises the advocacy movements. Investments in ownership of the platform members resulted in an increase in attendance rates of 29% during the extension period. The platform members expressed their commitment to sustain the MHM Platform and Simavi is dedicated to continuing to support the platform by allocating time from other programmes.
MHM Platform
Who Simavi, BNPS, and DORP What we did The MHM Platform was set up during the first phase of the Ritu programme, bringing together organisations from different sectors, e.g. NGOs, existing alliances working on WASH and SRHR, UN agencies, research institutes, and the private sector. The platform was chaired by Ms Rokeya Kabir, Executive Director of BNPS. The aim of the platform was to both learn and share, as well as to have a stronger voice through joint advocacy. The platform consisted of a core group that met more regularly, and a broader range of members that supported bigger events. To ensure commitment and sustainability, a number of training sessions were organised in addition to the joint advocacy. Our input in numbers • A total of 40 NGOs and CSOs were trained on menstrual health. • Outcome harvesting workshops were attended by 26 representatives from NGOs and CSOs.
Round table meeting with national stakeholders at Dhaka, dated 02 March 2019.
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N ational advocacy with the MHM Platform
Who BNPs and Simavi What we did The main advocacy objective was the inclusion of menstrual health in the secondary school curriculum. This curriculum is updated through a regular multi-year cycle where the teacher training curriculum is updated according to the changes in the school curriculum. BNPS and Simavi worked closely with the MHM Platform members in the engagements with the National Curriculum and Textbook Board that is responsible for the curriculum. Engagements means that several meetings were organised with key stakeholders that were supported by the publication of position papers and round-table meetings. Furthermore, DORP advocated with other platform members towards the implementation of the 2015 circular of the Ministry of Education, which prescribed that all schools should have female-friendly toilets. Evidence gathered from the interventions in Netrokona was used to inform advocacy messages towards the government. Our input in numbers: • Six round-table discussions were organised with the MHM Platform. • Six position papers were published in 20 print and online media, Independent BD, Parliament News BD, and Bangla News 24.
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