CO-Adopting Menstrual Hygiene Management The overarching impact is to ensure that women and girls in a rapid onset crisis in Gaza and the West Bank have access to effectiveMHM products. Our project has dual learning objectives. Firstly, to deepen the understanding of MHM in rapid onset crises, an area lacking substantial research. Secondly, to evaluate the implementation of innovations in complex contexts, focusing on logistical intricacies and the necessity of comprehensive education about the products.
To achieve this, our project will not only focus on the innovative introduction of Reemi’s MHM products but also ensure they are integrated into a broader response framework. This includes standard distributions like soap and laundry powder, ensuring a holistic approach to MHM practices in emergency settings. Our approach aims to contribute to evidence-based learning in the sector, with specific evaluations planned to assess how practitioners incorporate these innovations into their response plans, identifying barriers, enabling factors, and recommendations for future scaling.
Adhering to Core Humanitarian and Sphere Standards, we employ a categorisation system that assesses crises based on scale, severity, and potential regional impacts, allowing us to deliver effective and efficient interventions. This system emphasises menstrual management as a key indicator of successful excreta management. Our response in Gaza is a Category 1, meaning that we have assessed it tobe a high severity, high impact crisis requiring an urgent, prioritised response across the Oxfam confederation.
In preparation forthese interventions, we plan to conduct a series of activities:
• Define in detail with our logistic teams in Jerusalem, in Gaza, and Ramallah in West Bank, our colleagues currently based in Egypt as well as the Reemi logistics best production line location and different routing for goods to be delivered in country and appropriately store in warehouse. Now most of the goods are transiting through Rafah border with some potential opening on the North of Gaza which can impact our transportation of goods in future.
• Integrate the current learnings on current distribution from our partners in Gaza and West Bank and adapt the distribution SoP if needed.
•Collating Insights from WASH and Gender Teams: Gathering information on current MHM practices or modifications necessitated by emergencies.
• Pilot Testing and Trials: Distributing samples of Reemi’s MHM products to country team in OPT for preliminary trials, accompanied by detailed workshops on product use, complete with Arabic translations.
• Staff Training and Development: Organising in-depth training programmes for staff and volunteers with and by partners on MHM best practices, with a strong emphasis on cultural and gender sensitivities in the OPT context and Gaza and areas in West Bank emergency context.
• Operational Strategy Development: Revising operational strategies to modify logistics and distribution networks for the new products, ensuring efficient integration into our rapid response plans. It shall be noted, that in the case of Gaza in particular, the programme will not start until there is a permanent ceasefire and conditions are safe for the partners and programme participants to engage in the project. Shall the conditionsnot allow to implement the programme from April 1st in Gaza, the programme will commence in the West Bank and will be gradually expanded into Gaza when the conditions allow.
• Develop targeting criteria based on our current response and activities to ensure the innovation is embedded in our programming.
• Explore and develop monitoring tool adapted to the context, and the audience – groups orindividual women and young adolescents and men – considering internet connectivity, access to devices and GDPR policies.
Rapid response
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• Explore the use our Community Perception Tracker and with our MEAL and media team we can explore the potential use of digital form of gathering feedbacks on the use of the products – respecting GDPR policies
• Coordinate and present the project to the WASH cluster, more specifically with the Hygiene Promotion TWIG, adolescents' coalition, GBV sub- clusters to exchangelearning and promote this innovative pilot.
• Close monitoring of the situation in the region especially in Lebanon and Syria
Our approach to stakeholder engagement involves regular interaction with all partners and authorities, aiming for a coordinated and holistic response. This includes conducting joint assessments and forming shared distribution strategies to maximise efficiency and impact.
Additional key elements of our approach include:
• Feedback and Adaptation Mechanisms: we will enhance our responsiveness by expanding the use of “Your Word Counts,” a digitalised mobile feedback system. This will allow us to adapt swiftly to changing ground realities and community needs. Alongside, we will rigorously uphold youth and safeguarding policies, addressing misconduct through Oxfam's confidential 'speak up' system, managed by a specialized safeguarding team. Additionally, our adherence to GDPR standards ensures secure and ethical data management, respecting the privacy and security of our beneficiaries’ data throughout the project.
• Monitoring and Evaluation (M<(>&<)>E): Together with partners, Oxfam will propose a MEAL framework, following Oxfam’s Common Approach toMonitoring and Social Accountability tool (CAMSA). A detailed M<(>&<)>E Plan will be developed to collect and analyse data to monitor and measure the effectiveness of MHM interventions in varied crisis scenarios. This plan will integrate qualitative and quantitative metrics to assess impact thoroughly. Learnings from our current Reemi project in high severity contexts and our support with researchers from the LMU Munich will also be used to design our baseline and endline.