WinS for Girls - MONGOLIA:
Advocacy and Capacity Building for Menstrual Hygiene Management
through Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in Schools Programs
Mongolia Funding Proposal as part of
Global Funding Proposal Submitted by the
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
to Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada (DFATD)
Submitted by the
UNICEF Mongolia Country Office
31 July 2014
Project Summary
Project
Country Pool
Total Funds Required
for the Project
Project Duration
Overall Objective
Expected Outcomes
WinS for Girls: Advocacy and Capacity Building for Menstrual Hygiene
Management (MHM) through Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in Schools
Programs - MONGOLIA
Mongolia
(As part of 12 UNICEF programme countries from Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and
the Americas chosen through a demand-driven selection protocols)
600,000 USD
2 years (Aug. 2014 – Dec. 2015)
The objective of the project is to strengthen evidence-based advocacy and
action on Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) in Mongolia through the
UNICEF Mongolia’s Child Friendly School and WASH in Schools programs,
leading to a more supportive school environment that is ready for girls.
Mongolia:
1. Increased understanding of current MHM practices and barriers girls face
in schools in Mongolia. Through the strengthening and support of local
research partners, a qualitative assessment will be conducted in Mongolia
leading to the publication and dissemination of a report detailing current
country-specific MHM practices and the barriers girls face in schools.
2. Increased incorporation of gender sensitive MHM support into existing
national WinS programme in Mongolia through the development and
promotion of country-specific MHM guidance packages based on
research products.
3. Increased leadership of Ministry of Education in MHM in Mongolia:
through the establishment of a MHM Working Group under the auspices
of the MoE, and the encouragement of an increased discourse on MHM in
education sector forums as well as appropriate forums in other sectors
(including WASH and Health).
Target Beneficiaries
Direct Beneficiaries:
two focus locations
approximately 8,000 adolescent girls in 40 schools in
Indirect: the national girls student population in Mongolia
Officers responsible
Judith Bruno, [email protected], UNICEF Mongolia
Bolorchimeg Bor, [email protected], UNICEF Mongolia
WinS for Girls Proposal, UNICEF to DFATD, December 2013
i
Contents
Project Summary ______________________________________________________________________ i
Contents _____________________________________________________________________________ ii
Acronyms ___________________________________________________________________________ iii
1
Introduction ______________________________________________________________________ 1
2
Background _______________________________________________________________________ 2
3
2.1
Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) and Girls __________________________________________ 2
2.2
The UNICEF WinS Program as an Entry Point for MHM _______________________________________ 3
Project Objective and Expected Outcomes ______________________________________________ 4
3.1
Overall Objective _____________________________________________________________________ 4
3.2
Expected Outcomes ___________________________________________________________________ 4
1. Increased understanding of current MHM practices and barriers girls face in schools in Mongolia.
Through the strengthening and support of local research partners, a qualitative assessment will be
conducted in Mongolia leading to the publication and dissemination of a report detailing current
country-specific MHM practices and the barriers girls face in schools.____________________________ 4
2. Increased incorporation of gender sensitive MHM support into existing national WinS programme
in Mongolia through the development and promotion of country-specific MHM guidance packages
based on research products. _____________________________________________________________ 4
3. Increased leadership of Ministry of Education in MHM in Mongolia: through the establishment of a
MHM Working Group under the auspices of the MoE, and the encouragement of an increased discourse
on MHM in education sector forums as well as appropriate forums in other sectors (including WASH
and Health). __________________________________________________________________________ 4
4
5
Activities and Outputs ______________________________________________________________ 4
4.1
Increased understanding of current MHM practices and barriers girls face in schools in Mongolia ____ 4
4.2
Increased incorporation of gender sensitive MHM support into existing national WinS programme ___ 5
4.3
Increased leadership of Ministry of Education in MHM in Mongolia _____________________________ 7
4.4
Increased capacity of global WinS Network Members on MHM research and programming _________ 7
Project Scope and Location __________________________________________________________ 8
5.1
Selection Protocol _____________________________________________________________________ 8
6
Implementation Partners and Coordination _____________________________________________ 8
7
Monitoring and Reporting ___________________________________________________________ 9
8
Implementation Schedule ___________________________________________________________ 9
Annexes ____________________________________________________________________________ 12
Annex I: Logic Model _______________________________________________________________________ 12
Annex II: Performance Measurement Framework ________________________________________________ 12
WinS for Girls Proposal, UNICEF to DFATD, December 2013
ii
Acronyms
DFATD
EMIS
JMP
MHM
MICS
NatCom
NGO
UNICEF
UNGEI
WASH
WinS
WHO
Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development
Education Management Information Systems
Joint Monitoring Program for Water Supply and Sanitation
Menstrual Hygiene Management
Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey
UNICEF National Committee
Non-governmental Organization
United Nations Children’s Fund
United Nations Girls' Education Initiative
Water, Sanitation and Hygiene
WASH in Schools
World Health Organization
WinS for Girls Proposal, UNICEF to DFATD, December 2013
iii
1 Introduction
WASH in Schools (WinS) programs supported by UNICEF and its partners throughout the developing world help
ensure that schools provide a healthy environment for children and that students benefit fully from their education
experience. WinS programs are based on a body of evidence demonstrating the health and education benefits for
children of hygiene promotion, adequate sanitation and safe water in schools. Although WinS programs have a
positive impact on all children, girls benefit the most because WASH-related barriers in schools, such as the lack of
private toilets or hygiene-related stigma, affect girls in particular.
When girls reach menstruation age (menarche) they face additional barriers to getting a quality education.
Confronted by the lack of private changing and washing facilities, the absence of water and soap, or of any way to
clean or dispose of sanitary napkins, many girls do not attend school during their menstrual periods. Girls are also
subject to social stigma and a greater risk of sexual assault when they begin to menstruate, further marginalizing
and threatening them within the school environment. These factors have been shown to result in disproportionally
high absenteeism rates among girls in school, affecting educational performance and the chance of entering and
completing secondary school.
Tackling the stigma and gender marginalization related to menstruation can be difficult due to strong societal views
and practices, and the perception that menstrual health programs represent a challenge to traditional social
norms. WinS programs are a good entry point to improve menstrual hygiene management (MHM) and to initiate
discussions on broader issues related to menstruation. Initially WinS programs engage with the community and the
education system on the ‘neutral’ issues of improving access to water supply and sanitation facilities and
promoting good hygiene practices. This engagement builds rapport and a working relationship with community and
school actors, paving the way towards discussions and actions to address the MHM challenges that girls face in
schools and, eventually, the challenges they face within their communities.
WinS as a vehicle for improving menstrual hygiene, reducing stigma and lowering barriers for girls to a quality
education is increasingly recognized within the development community and governments in developing countries.
Consequently, a growing number of countries incorporate MHM within WinS programs, both in development and
humanitarian relief contexts. However, there is still a great deal more work to be done, both on the research front
to better understand the issues, and on the programming front to improve the effectiveness and impact of these
MHM programs.
What is indisputable is that from both the human rights and public health perspectives, every menstruating girl and
woman should have a safe, clean and private space in which to manage monthly menses with dignity. Adolescent
girls should be able to attend and complete their secondary education in safe and protective learning
environments to take advantage of the education dividend for themselves and for their communities.
Removing barriers to education for girls leads to positive impacts on society as a whole. In study after study,
education of girls and women is consistently associated with positive development outcomes such as reductions in
mortality, fertility and intergenerational poverty. Educated young women have smaller families and healthier
children. They are less likely to die in childbirth, more likely to send their children to school, and better able to
protect themselves and their children from malnutrition, HIV/AIDS, trafficking, and sexual exploitation. Education is
one of the most effective strategies to combat child marriage: girls with secondary schooling are up to six times
less likely to marry before the age of 18 as girls with little or no education. An extra year of primary school boosts
girls’ eventual wages by 10 to 20 per cent and an extra year of secondary school by 15 to 25 per cent. An educated
girl is more empowered, as she is likely to get a job and earn a higher wage, and her nation’s economy is likely to
benefit as a result: one percentage point increase in female education raises the average level of GDP by 0.3
percentage points. Girls’ education is the single most powerful investment for development.
WinS for Girls Proposal, UNICEF to DFATD, December 2013
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2 Background
2.1
Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) and Girls
Menstruation is a complex issue that includes not just
the management of the menstrual period (see
definition in box) but the need to address societal
beliefs and taboos surrounding the issue. As the body
of research on the importance of MHM for girls
expands, there is a growing interest in exploring and
addressing it, especially through WASH in Schools
programs. However, MHM is still a nascent
programming area, with relatively few countries
addressing it in a comprehensive way.
Menstrual Hygiene Management Defined
“Women and adolescent girls are using a clean
menstrual management material to absorb or collect
blood that can be changed in privacy as often as
necessary for the duration of the menstruation period,
using soap and water for washing the body as required,
and having access to facilities to dispose of used
menstrual management materials”.
Definition of Menstrual Hygiene Management developed by
the members of the MHM Thematic Working Group of the
Global WinS Network, December 2013
A primary reason is that menstruation and menstrual
hygiene are taboo subjects in many societies.
Addressing the MHM needs of female students requires careful attention to local cultural and social contexts, given
the secrecy that surrounds the issue (among girls and women, as well as among boys and men). However, the
strong similarities in the menstrual management barriers faced by girls and female teachers across school
environments in countries around the world can guide the research, programming and policy in countries seeking
to initiate or scale up attention on the issue.
The few qualitative studies that have been conducted in developing countries document many cases in which girls
reach menarche with inadequate guidance and information on this important physiological change, or on how to
manage their menses and body hygiene with confidence. Many female students also encounter challenges in
managing their menses en route to and within the school environment. Such challenges include: inadequate
sanitation facilities, with many schools having insufficient numbers of private, safe and clean toilets; lack of access
by schools to water within or near the toilet facilities for washing menstrual stains from clothes and uniforms (or
for washing re-useable sanitary napkins); and inadequate mechanisms in schools for the disposal of used menstrual
materials or menstrual waste. Adequate disposal facilities include those within the toilet stall/block itself (such as a
dustbin) and a system for safe, culturally and environmentally appropriate disposal of the collected waste (such as
an incinerator or burying pit).
Additional challenges highlighted by female students include inadequate cleaning supplies, such as gloves, mops,
soap and disinfectant materials, because in many countries they are responsible for cleaning school sanitation
facilities. Girls’ responsibility for cleaning sanitation facilities is problematic in turn because it is based on
discriminatory gendered norms and an accompanying division of labour that absolves boys from cleaning
responsibilities. Furthermore, the prevalence of male teachers or the nature of disciplinary relationships with
female teachers inhibits the sharing of menstrual-related concerns with teachers. The girls also face insufficient
supplies of adequate sanitary materials, including a lack of underwear, for commuting long distances to schools
and participating in lengthy school days (with minimal breaks for use of sanitation facilities); harassment by male
students, who mock or tease them when they try to keep sanitary materials hidden in schoolbags or have a
menstrual accident in class; and menstrual cramps or pain, which negatively affect their concentration, attendance,
confidence and participation in school and community life.
In many countries, girls and their female teachers have shared recommendations and solutions for addressing such
challenges, but the specific barriers to menstrual hygiene management have yet to be adequately explored.
Although it is not essential for all of the MHM-related challenges highlighted above to be incorporated into
guidelines for minimum standards for WinS implementation and monitoring, the development of and consensus on
WinS for Girls Proposal, UNICEF to DFATD, December 2013
2
a holistic MHM approach that can be easily monitored and evaluated within a WASH in Schools program is long
overdue.
The Mongolia Context
No specific research and study have been conducted on MHM in Mongolia. Adolescent girls, however, continue
to face challenges especially in rural schools and dormitories with limited water supply and WASH facilities.
According to the recent Sample Indicator Sample Survey study conducted jointly by UNICEF and UNFPA, Mongolia
in 2013, the net attendance rate of the girls in secondary education is 4 per cent lower than that of the girls
attending primary education. Also the net attendance rates of primary and secondary school girls in rural areas is
0.8 and 0.1 per cent lower compared to their urban peers. According to the statistics of the MoE, there are
currently 506 school dormitories in the entire country with 36,130 residents who stay there for the entire duration
of the academic year of 9 months, out of whom 52.3% is girls. Yet, the physical environment in these dormitories is
not supportive of inclusive and quality education.
A study on school dormitory conditions conducted by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and UNICEF in
2007 revealed difficulties to follow health and hygiene standards in school dormitories due to several factors
including non-standard buildings used as dormitories, overcrowded rooms, lack of adequate heating system, lack of
proper WASH facilities as well as provision other basic necessities. Water supply for 73.9 per cent of 502
dormitories currently in use is carried from outside water kiosks and wells and 45.7 per cent of water supply do not
meet hygienic standards. Only 21.7 per cent of the dormitories have indoor latrines and the remaining 78.3 per
cent have outdoor latrines that are mostly unsafe and unhygienic. And there is currently no data on bathrooms
where children can take a shower available. The study also revealed that learning achievement of students from
grades 4, 6 and 9 staying in a dormitory with a central water supply system and indoor latrines is higher by 9 points
in mathematics and 7.4 points in mongolian language compared to that of students staying in a dormitory with no
such facilities.
The inadequate WASH facilities and the harsh winter climate are factors contributing to open defecation which is a
common practice among primary school aged children in the school and school dormitories` yards. In rural areas,
most unimproved sanitation facilities are built at a distance in the back of school yards where children have to walk
over 100 meters to reach them, including in temperatures which can drop as low as minus 40C, and where these
same latrines were not designed for use in extreme cold conditions.
This proposal aims to capture the range of MHM-related challenges and programmatic interventions that can be
incorporated in WASH in Schools programming in Mongolia as part of 12 target countries by the end of 2015.
Through the project, UNICEF will engage with national and local governments, local and international NGOs active
at the country level, and communities from the very beginning of the project. This will ensure relevance,
strengthen ownership and sustainability and also build national capacity. The Ministry of Education will be
supported to take the lead role in MHM research and development of a basic model for MHM programming, in
collaboration with national health, education and gender actors. Menstrual hygiene management is a social issue
that cannot be addressed by working in schools alone and the project will work towards challenging norms around
MHM, and towards the empowerment of girls and women.
2.2 The UNICEF WinS Program as an Entry Point for MHM
As the UNICEF WinS program expands in scale and scope, and as it incorporates MHM as a core program
component, it is becoming the single most important mechanism for promoting MHM in the developing world.
As such, the program now has a fundamental role in creating school environments that make it easier for girls and
female teachers to manage menstrual hygiene.
In case of Mongolia, existing Student Development Centers in schools initiated by UNICEF CFS programme in the
past, that are operating as a hub for supporting activities of student-led organizations such as health clubs used as
WinS for Girls Proposal, UNICEF to DFATD, December 2013
3
an entry point to supporting MHM. In 2012-2013, UNICEF Mongolia Office supported the improvement of facilities
and activities of Student Development Centers in 38 schools in its two target areas and can further promote MHM
initiatives in these centers in order to generate best practices for replication to other schools.
3
Project Objective and Expected Outcomes
3.1 Overall Objective
The objective of the project is to strengthen evidence-based advocacy and action on Menstrual Hygiene
Management in Mongolia through the UNICEF-supported WASH in Schools Programme leading to a more
supportive school environment that is ready for girls.
3.2 Expected Outcomes
1. Increased understanding of current MHM practices and barriers girls face in schools in Mongolia.
Through the strengthening and support of local research partners, a qualitative assessment will be
conducted in Mongolia leading to the publication and dissemination of a report detailing current
country-specific MHM practices and the barriers girls face in schools.
2. Increased incorporation of gender sensitive MHM support into existing national WinS programme in
Mongolia through the development and promotion of country-specific MHM guidance packages based
on research products.
3. Increased leadership of Ministry of Education in MHM in Mongolia: through the establishment of a MHM
Working Group under the auspices of the MoE, and the encouragement of an increased discourse on
MHM in education sector forums as well as appropriate forums in other sectors (including WASH and
Health).
Intermediate and Ultimate Outcomes
The project activities are designed to help result in the ultimate outcome of increased attendance rates and a more
supportive school environment helping girls to successfully complete primary school and transition on to
secondary school.
Leading to this ultimate outcome are two intermediate outcomes:
1. Reduced social and physical barriers to safe and stigma-free menstrual hygiene management in schools
and in education sector in Mongolia.
2. Strengthened national advocacy for effective menstrual hygiene management through WASH in Schools
programming contributing to global advocacy
4 Activities and Outputs
The project will be guided by a Logic Model (Annex I) that defines the links between the activities, outputs and
expected outcomes on various levels. Below is a summary of the activities and outputs, organized by intermediate
outcome.
4.1 Increased understanding of current MHM practices and barriers girls face in schools in
Mongolia
To achieve this outcome, the project will work towards producing three key outputs:
1. Formative research on current MHM practices and barriers within the social and economic context of each
country (with an emphasis on issues concerning the status of women and girls in society, and the role of
gender relations);
2. The dissemination of the research products to all key stakeholders nationally; and
3. Capacity building of the local research partners, both for conducting the project-sponsored research and for
WinS for Girls Proposal, UNICEF to DFATD, December 2013
4
strengthening capacity for ongoing research related to MHM.
An academic institution and a local NGO will be identified to carry out qualitative research, and participate in a 5day training course to refine tools and protocols for field work, as well as to discuss cultural norms and sensitivities
around gender and MHM. Researchers will then spend three to five months in the field and work closely with the
local NGO.
The research will start with a desk review of research, policy and practice related to MHM, a MHM stakeholder
mapping exercise, and other appropriate activities in preparation of the in-depth research to be conducted in
schools and communities. There, data collection instruments may include interviews, focus group discussions and
informant interviews (with girls and with boys, with teachers and principals, and with community members), and
participatory learning activities in 12 to 16 schools. This is not intended to be a nationally representative sample
size – this qualitative research exercise will be designed to capture a general picture of MHM in various locations.
The choice and number of schools will be determined by the research needs jointly by the research team, UNICEF
Mongolia Office, and local partners .
The country-specific research report will be published and shared within the country as well as with the global
WinS Network. UNICEF and its local partners will ensure that the report is disseminated to and discussed with key
WinS and MHM stakeholders from the Ministry of Education, other line ministries and among civil society
stakeholders.
Special care will be taken to ensure that the research findings are also disseminated to the schools and
communities where the qualitative research took place. The local NGO partner will provide this feedback and will
be encouraged to engage further with the communities and schools to implement the MHM basic package when it
is completed.
4.2 Increased incorporation of gender sensitive MHM support into existing national WinS
programme
To achieve this outcome, the project will produce two main outputs:
1. A set of guidelines for a country-specific, gender-sensitive and evidence-based basic MHM package that
will be field tested and published in the form of a manual; and
2. The use of the new MHM package within WinS programs by government and civil society stakeholders.
The guidelines and package will be developed based on the evidence generated from the qualitative research
discussed above, along with additional inputs from a desk review of current programming practices in the area of
MHM and discussions with key informants from UNICEF, government and other stakeholder organizations. The
package will include a ‘vision statement’ of an ideal enabling environment for MHM in schools. The structure of the
package will be modular, providing programming strategies and activities for improving MHM practices within
various facets of the school and its host communities. This will ensure that interventions go beyond changes to the
physical infrastructure of school (including improved washing facilities, gender-segregated toilets, sanitary napkin
disposal facilities, etc.) to also include activities and interventions to stimulate changes to the school culture and to
include appropriate MHM-related activities within classrooms, on the school grounds and with the community.
Community engagement will be a critical
component of the basic package: menstrual
hygiene management is a social issue that cannot be addressed by working in schools alone. It is necessary to
explore additional avenues such as existing girls’ clubs or hygiene clubs (part of many WinS programs) in schools
and expand existing programs targeted at reaching girls and communities. Local NGOs implementing WinS
programs are ideally placed to build capacities of the hygiene clubs to encourage girls’ confidence when managing
menstruation en route to and in the school setting.
WinS for Girls Proposal, UNICEF to DFATD, December 2013
5
The MHM package will follow a stepped approach to programming similar to the one used by UNICEF for its WinS
programs: The 3-Star Approach for WASH in Schools1. Under this approach, a school earns 1-star status when it
creates a basic supportive environment for children including key interventions in the area of hygiene, sanitation
and water. Interventions in this area are designed to have maximum impact and little or low cost, allowing
programs to scale up with strategic interventions that lead to key health and education outcomes for children
without major expenditures from governments or support agencies.
However, it should be stressed that each country will develop its own unique MHM package. The project includes
the flexibility to address locally-specific barrier as well as take advantage of opportunities, such as techniques that
have already been proven to be effective in-country. For example, in Afghanistan, the project may build on the
findings of past MHM-related research findings and recommendations to build the capacity of female teaching staff
in schools and to work with the Ministry of Education (that is already engaged with the issue) on specific strategies
for reaching girls in schools where there is no female staff.
In Mongolia, the basic package will be incorporated in to the existing WinS program, and is expected to ultimately
reach all schools covered by the national program.
1
The Three Star Approach for WASH in Schools: Simple, scalable, sustainable. UNICEF, 2013.
http://www.unicef.org/wash/schools/files/UNICEF_Field_Guide-3_Star-Guide.pdf
WinS for Girls Proposal, UNICEF to DFATD, December 2013
6
4.3 Increased leadership of Ministry of Education in MHM in Mongolia
As is the case for WASH in Schools generally, it is of critical importance for Ministry of Education (MoE) to take a
leadership role in promoting and supporting MHM in schools. There are important roles for other government and
non-government stakeholders of course, but if the program is not owned by the education sector, going to scale
effectively is difficult. To achieve this, the project will carry out a set of activities leading to two key outputs:
1. The establishment of a national MHM Working Group under the Ministry of Education in Mongolia; and
2. The presentation and discussion of MHM-related information within appropriate forums in the education
sector, and in appropriate forums in other sectors (e.g. WASH and Health).
The project will engage in activities designed to encourage the formation of a national MHM Working Group, led by
the Ministry of Education. The activities will include evidence-based advocacy to raise the profile of MHM (and of
WinS) within the education sector, discussions with education professionals, and work with key stakeholders from
other sectors (Health in particular) to assist this advocacy effort. Once agreement has been reached on the
institutional positioning of the Working Group, UNICEF will provide technical and managerial support. Where
required, the project will also provide modest financial support for start-up and logistics costs.
The MHM Working Groups, once formed, will be the fulcrum for stimulating additional discussion and engagement
with education sector and other stakeholders on MHM issues. UNICEF will specifically support the design and
holding of MHM sessions in appropriate forums including sector reviews, academic conferences, planning
meetings, etc.
The Ministry of Education will also be supported to make use of existing Ministry departments and units to support
MHM and WinS programming. These include units responsible for management and monitoring (including the
national Education Management Information System – EMIS), for infrastructure, for curriculum development and
for teacher training. Particular attention will be given to community outreach mechanism including Parent
Teachers Associations and other mechanisms (such as community-school management committees) to improve
capacity within the ministry to reach out to communities with basic MHM information and advocacy.
4.4 Increased capacity of global WinS Network Members on MHM research and
programming
Two main outputs will lead to this outcome:
1. A web-based learning program for local research partners in Mongolia;
2. The holding of the 3rd annual Virtual MHM Conference in 2014.
A web-based learning program for capacity building of WASH in Schools researchers on MHM will be developed
through the project by UNICEF. The course content will be developed in collaboration with a leading academic
institution with experience in MHM and WinS issues in developing countries, such as, for example, Emory
University and Columbia University. The course will be administered through distance learning and will be
specifically designed to build national capacity to conduct MHM research in the field. The first batch of the training
will target mainly the 12 project countries (including Mongolia) participating at this project, with subsequent rollouts to other countries. The distance education design will be modeled on the successful WinS certificate course
run by Emory University and UNICEF that has now reached over 200 participants in 50 countries (see box, below).
The primary audience for the course will be the UNICEF Education and WASH officers from the Mongolia , key
technical people from the Ministry of Education, local partners who are already engaged with girls education and
possibly MHM research and programming.
WinS for Girls Proposal, UNICEF to DFATD, December 2013
7
The participating partners will be exposed to MHM
research guides and tools and will develop skills to
implement activities leading to research- and programrelated outputs. At the global level, UNICEF and the
selected academic institution running the distance
education course will provide technical support to
participating Country Offices.
Emory University / UNICEF WASH in Schools Distance
Learning Course
In 2010, UNICEF and Emory University signed
collaborated on the development of learning program
around WASH in Schools. The first component of this
collaboration was to develop and administer a webbased course for WASH n Schools practitioners. The
course includes 13 web based lectures given over six
months by Emory and UNICEF staff, an online
discussion, country-level assignments and development
of case studies. The course garnered such a high level of
interest, that it has been taught a total of four times. To
date, 239 participants from 50 countries in Asia, Africa,
Latin America, and Eastern Europe, have completed the
course. A course book, as well as case studies developed
during the course, have also has been published. The
course is now being adapted into local languages by
UNICEF offices in India and Bolivia in collaboration with
local universities.
To further build the collective capacity for advocacy,
research and programming among global organizations
working in the area of WinS and MHM, UNICEF will
organize the 3rd Annual Virtual Conference on MHM in
the last quarter of 2014. The conference will build on
the success of the 2012 and 2013 conferences, both of
which were very well attended (over 70 participants,
from countries around the world) and allowed
participants to share and learn from both programming
and research experiences related to MHM in
developing countries. The proceedings of the first
conference have been published in a report, which
includes a summary of the conference proceedings as
well as a set of case studies from 14 countries.2 The recently concluded second conference and the 2014
conference will also result in published proceedings. It is expected that UNICEF will continue to sponsor the
conference jointly with the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.
Both of these outputs are designed to support MHM research and programming in the 12 project countries while
also building advocacy capacity in other countries, regionally, and at the global level.
5 Project Scope and Location
5.1
Selection Protocol
UNICEF Mongolia Office selected one peri-urban area – Nalaikh and one rural area –Khuvsgul for its current
Country Programme in order to generate evidence and provide the foundation for effective advocacy and policy
review. However, the proposed research within the WinS for Girls project will not be limited to these two
target areas in order to depict a nationally representative picture of MHM situations in different schools in the
country. For this reason, we are proposing to include 2-4 schools in each of the nine districts of Ulaanbaatar
and 21 provinces. However, if the proposed selection results in increased research costs, a number of schools
can be adjusted by the five geographical regions – Western, Khangai, Central, Eastern and Ulaanbaatar. In both
options, it should be ensured that schools are selected in order to represent different locations and different
features including urban schools, per-urban schools, provincial center schools, village schools, schools with and
without indoor WASH facilities, boarding schools etc.
6 Implementation Partners and Coordination
UNICEF Mongolia Country Office will manage country-level activities, together with Ministry of Education and
WASH in Schools Empowers Girls’ Education: Proceedings of the Menstrual Hygiene Management in Schools
Virtual Conference, 2012.
http://www.unicef.org/wash/schools/files/WASH_in_Schools_Empowers_Girls_Education_Proceedings_of_Virtual_M
HM_conference.pdf
2
WinS for Girls Proposal, UNICEF to DFATD, December 2013
8
Science, which are the main implementing counterparts. UNICEF will hire consultants and academic institutions
to provide specific technical inputs for development, dissemination and capacity building efforts required for
implementation of the program. UNICEF will also draw on the expertise and resources of national WASH in Schools
Networks, which UNICEF leads in multiple countries. Members of these networks come from academia,
international and local NGOs, other members of civil society, and partners from Ministries of Education and other
line ministries. Network members will be mobilized and kept engaged with the project from the onset of the
project.
7 Monitoring and Reporting
UNICEF staff in Mongolia will carry out regular monitoring visits, technical meetings and quarterly reviews to
provide to assess the progress of the project and take corrective actions if required. Joint field visits will be carried
out by project officers of UNICEF and Government partners to improve coordination among stakeholders.
Annex II contains the Performance Measurement Framework (PMF) for the project, which includes details on
indicators, targets, data collection methods and responsibilities.
8 Implementation Schedule
Project activities are proposed to start in August 2014 and will run until December 2015.
Assuming the funds will be available in August 2014, the timeframe below will be followed with necessary
adjustments during project implementation.
No
Activity
A
Document current menstrual hygiene management practices and the
barriers girls face (At country office level)
Identification of research partners for conducting qualitative survey on MHM
Desk review of existing MHM experiences in country
Development of research tools, piloting of research materials and
identification of schools to conduct research
Field research on MHM
Development and clearance of country specific MHM report
Develop and disseminate guidelines for minimum package for MHM into
existing WASH in Schools programs (At country office level)
Development of Basic intervention package on MHM
Field testing of Basic package in selected schools
Dissemination of Basic MHM package with WASH partners in the country and
advocacy for its incorporation in to existing WinS programs.
Specific advocacy for Ministries of Educations to lead MHM activities (At
country office level)
Establishment of MHM working group under Ministry of Educations WASH in
Schools coordination committee
1
2
3
4
5
B
1
2
3
C
1
WinS for Girls Proposal, UNICEF to DFATD, December 2013
August 2014-December 2015
2014
2015
Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4
9
2
D
1
2
3
4
5
Organization of MHM session at National WASH/Education/ Teachers
associations meetings/conferences
Global advocacy and capacity on MHM through WASH in Schools programs
strengthened
Development of a web-based learning program on MHM research in
collaboration with Emory University
Roll out and completion of web-based learning program
Announcement of 3rd Annual Virtual MHM conference
Conduct 3rd Annual MHM conference and dissemination of its proceedings
Quarterly reviews of progress on global advocacy on MHM with WinS network
partners over WebEx
WinS for Girls Proposal, UNICEF to DFATD, December 2013
10
Budget Estimate
The project will be financed primarily by donations from DFATD and from the United Kingdom and Swedish UNICEF
National Committees, as shown below. Additional in-kind contributions from government counterparts and other
partners will also support project activities (not shown).
No
Activity (Aug 2014 – Dec 2015)
Proposed
Budget in USD
A
Document current menstrual hygiene management practices and
the barriers girls face (At country office level)
Identification of research partners for conducting qualitative survey
on MHM
Desk review of existing MHM experiences in country
Development of research tools, piloting of research materials and
identification of schools to conduct research
Field research on MHM
Development and clearance of country specific MHM report
Develop and disseminate guidelines for minimum package for
MHM into existing WASH in Schools programs (At country office
level)
Development of Basic intervention package on MHM
Field testing of Basic package in selected schools
Dissemination of Basic MHM package with WASH partners in the
country and advocacy for its incorporation in to existing WinS
programs.
Specific advocacy for Ministries of Educations to lead MHM
activities (At country office level)
Establishment of MHM working group under Ministry of Educations
WASH in Schools coordination committee
Organization of MHM session at National WASH/Education/
Teachers associations meetings/conferences
Global advocacy and capacity on MHM through WASH in Schools
programs strengthened
Development of a web-based learning program on MHM research
in collaboration with Emory University
Roll out and completion of web-based learning program
Announcement of 3rd Annual Virtual MHM conference
Conduct 3rd Annual MHM conference and dissemination of its
proceedings
Quarterly reviews of progress on global advocacy on MHM with
WinS network partners over WebEx
Programme Technical Staff Cost (WASH Consultants)
Program Support (Estimated at 5%)
Total (USD)
Overhead 7%
Estimated Total Budget for Overall Project (USD)
200,000
1
2
3
4
5
B
1
2
3
C
1
2
D
1
2
3
4
5
E
F
G
WinS for Girls Proposal, UNICEF to DFATD, December 2013
120,000
80,000
5,000
113,000
30,000
558,000
42,000
600,000
11
Annexes
Annex I: Logic Model
Annex II: Performance Measurement Framework
WinS for Girls Proposal, UNICEF to DFATD, December 2013
12