Health officials have been urged to ensure the Safe Menstruation Guidelines and related tools are widely distributed in their respective areas so that communities can access the information and apply it in daily life.
The call was made by the Head of the Environmental Health Unit at Tanzania’s Ministry of Health, Mr Anyitike Mwakitalima, during a training workshop on the dissemination of the guidelines for the Southern Highlands zone held in Mbeya yesterday.
The workshop brought together district and regional health officers as well as School Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (SWASH) coordinators from Mbeya, Ruvuma, Njombe, Iringa, Songwe and Rukwa regions.
Mr Mwakitalima said participants who attended the training must ensure the guidelines reach the intended beneficiaries, particularly girls and women of reproductive age.
He said the guidelines were developed to improve awareness and strengthen the environment that enables girls and women to manage menstruation safely and with dignity.
Mr Mwakitalima urged participants to return to their respective regions and actively disseminate the guidelines to ensure they benefit communities at the grassroots level.
“I would like to use this opportunity to ask all participants to go back and continue disseminating these guidelines in your working areas because the main target is the end user, who is the girl and woman of reproductive age,” he said.
He noted that effective implementation of the guidelines requires ensuring the availability of menstrual health products as well as adequate infrastructure for use and proper sanitation.
Mr Mwakitalima emphasized that menstrual health should not be viewed as a responsibility of girls or mothers alone, but rather as a collective responsibility of the entire community.
“When we talk about safe menstruation, it concerns everyone. It is our collective responsibility. It is not only the responsibility of a girl or a mother, but everyone has a role to ensure girls receive proper menstrual health services,” he said.
Speaking during the workshop, a representative from the Commissioner for Education’s Office at the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Dr Joyce Sigara, said the guidelines represent an important step in supporting girls and strengthening communities.
She noted that educating and empowering girls contributes to broader social development.
A representative from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Ms Regnihaldah Mpete, commended the Ministry of Health for its continued efforts to oversee the dissemination of the guidelines and ensure interventions are implemented in line with the framework.
She urged participants to act as ambassadors in promoting the guidelines, stressing that collaboration among different sectors is essential to achieving safe menstrual health practices within communities.
