About MH Day
Lack of education, ongoing taboos, and stigma cause poor menstrual hygiene. A lack of access to clean menstrual products and bad sanitation also contribute. These problems harm the education, health, and social status of women and girls* worldwide.
As a result, millions of women and girls face obstacles to their full potential. Menstrual Hygiene Day (MH Day) is a global campaign. It unites nonprofits, governments, individuals, businesses, and the media. The goal is to promote good menstrual health and hygiene (MHH).
MH Day has two key aims. First, it breaks the taboo around menstrual health and hygiene. It raises awareness and shifts negative social norms around MHH. Second, it urges leaders to prioritise and act on MHH at global, national and local levels.
Since 2014, MH Day has seen significant growth. Read the MHDay Impact Report to see its results and learn how MH Day generates an impact for MHH.
Impact at a glance
155
1157
Menstrual Hygiene Day has 1,157 official partner organisations, ranging from UNICEF, UNFPA and the World Bank to hundreds of small grassroots NGOs.
Sub-Saharan Africa is the region with the most partners. India is the country with the highest number of partners.
89
23400
In 2024, our monitorings tools tracked 23,400 pieces of media coverage – which would fill 171 books, is a 31.25% increase from last year and a new all-time record!
South America really stood out, with media coverage skyrocketing by 801% — from 185 pieces last year to 1,664 this year.
North and Central America continues to be the most active region with 11,573 pieces (49.46% of total). Followed by Asia (17.61%), Europe (17.41%), South America (7.11%), Africa (4.9%) and Oceania (3.51%).
Note: We use the social media and media intelligence tool Meltwater to identify media pieces - published online, on radio or tv, but not including print - between April 29 and June 10 2024. The massive value for North America is also due to the fact that web-pages from e.g. African media outlets are often hosted on U.S. servers and therefore appear in the statistics here.
8000
293000
In 2024, our monitoring tools tracked 293,000 contributions on social media – which would take 42.5 days to read them all, is a 31.98% increase from last year and a new all-time record!
South America has made the biggest leap, recording an increase of 191% — from 2,799 pieces last year to 8,143 this year.
Africa continues to be the most active region with 115,916 contributions (39.56% of total), followed by North and Central America (26.72%), Asia (16.99%), Europe (12.95%), South America (2.78%) and Oceania (1%).
Note: We use the renowned social media and media intelligence tool Meltwater to identify contributions between April 29 and June 10 2024. We can only partially track contributions on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram, and we cannot track Instagram stories. Hence, we estimate that the actual number of social media contributions is far higher.
22
966
This is the power of collective action: MH Day 2024 reached 966 million people – that’s 1/8th of the world’s population, a 37.8% increase from last year and a new all-time record! Every post, article, and conversation about menstruation during the campaign phase between April 29 and June 10 2024 made this possible.
But how exactly do we measure "reach"?
We use the renowned social media and media intelligence tool Meltwater to identify all social conversations and online media contributions, as well as to measure the gross reach. Based on this number and with the help of experts from the Meltwater team, we calculate the actual number of people reached.
WASH United: International Secretariat of MH Day
Menstrual Hygiene Day was initiated by WASH United. WASH United is a small non-profit (15 staff) based in Berlin/Germany committed to create collective impact through collaboration. WASH United acts as the International Secretariat, which coordinates and orchestrates the MH Day initiative globally.
The role and responsibilities of the International Secretariat include:
- overarching campaign strategy and planning
- development and dissemination of a wide portfolio of free campaign materials for online and on-the-ground campaigning and events
- coordination and support of >1,000 MH Day partner organisations (through newsletters, webinars, etc)
- communication via MH Day website and MH Day social media channels
- networking and strategic partnerships
- year-round advocacy for more funding and action for MHH
- fundraising for the roles of the International Secretariat
- monitoring of the collective impact of MH Day and reporting
MH Day activities in countries are coordinated by local MH Day partners. In some countries, partners are organised in national coalitions.
Our Vision
It is possible to create a world where no one is held back because they menstruate. A world where they can manage their periods safely, hygienically, and confidently, without shame. A period-friendly world. This entails that everyone has access to
- hygienic menstrual products
- basic information about menstruation
- period-friendly sanitation facilities
- and that the taboos and stigma surrounding menstruation are history
Are you a journalist?
The Media Resources section offers key information for journalists. This includes the top 5 things to know about MH Day 2024. Additionally, our experts are ready for quotes, comments, and interviews. We can also connect you with our partners for deeper regional insights.