Fiji Hub Achievement Report Caqalai

April 2017
Objective: Community Enrichment

Talking taboos: Menstrual management in Moturiki Islands

Objective
To educate the women and girls of Moturiki Islands in menstrual hygiene management and creating
reusable sanitary products
UN SDG 3: Good health & well-being
UN SDG 5: Gender equality
UN SDG 12: Responsible consumption & production

Summary
A request which rings a familiar bell throughout the ten villages in Moturiki, that of a lack of waste
management and a lack of awareness, this time on the taboo topic of periods.

Report
We have worked closely with Lucia, the District Nurse on Moturiki over the last year; during that
time we gathered some feedback from her about the lack of awareness among women and girls of
Moturiki on menstruation.

A tabu topic among traditional Fijian communities, having conducted some research with the
women on Caqalai, it became clear that many were not aware of what happens in their bodies
during menstruation. Through our conversations it was obvious that more open discussion on the
subject was needed, in order to dispel myths and encourage a healthy conversation.

Sanitary products are not widely used in many of the remote island communities; tampons are
almost unheard of in Fiji and sanitary towels are expensive. Women often use rags or newspapers
during their period, if anything at all, leaving them susceptible to infections. Without proper sanitary
products, girls often skip school during their period, missing out on valuable education.

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Our Community Team on Caqalai Island worked with Lucia, developing a simple presentation on
Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM), including a workshop demonstrating how to make and
look after simple reusable sanitary towels, primarily from old but clean clothing.

Working on the project from January 2017, in April this year we completed the presentations and
workshops in all ten villages and both schools in Moturiki, a fantastic achievement. The women and
girls we worked with really enjoyed the presentation, especially learning how they can make and
clean sanitary products for themselves. While sewing the towels, even some of the village men came
to ask about them, opening up a conversation on the traditionally tabu subject.

GVI volunteers and staff had the opportunity to engage with the community and learn more about
how menstruation is seen in Fijian society. Despite the heat, all hugely enjoyed their time working
on MHM, totaling more than 30 hours of preparation, planning and presentations, especially
whenever they were served with afternoon tea! Village elders sometimes served kava, a drink made
from ground roots used widely in South Pacific cultures, to thank GVI for the work done.

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