In West Pokot County especially in the rural sett ups menstrual health information is scarce and sometimes not available. Parents/care givers and the community at large including its organs such as schools and faith based organizations does not embrace menstrual health talks and raising awareness. Adolescent girls and young mothers are facing traumatic stress and adolescent girls end up dropping out of schools due to lack of menstrual hygiene services and rights. With this background I come up with an idea to create menstrual health awareness and create a whole community towards menstrual health services and rights.

This is an innovation that aims to promote menstrual health dialogues to create a strong community for menstrual health services and rights. It targets adolescent girls and young mothers through parents/care givers, community leaders and community organizations including churches and schools.
For the innovation to work four approaches will be applied;
1. Building strong parenting for menstrual health rights: Here they are taught about creating an open discussion at home about menstrual health rights and services including need for sanitary pads for adolescent girls and young mothers.
2. Adolescent girls menstrual health session: Adolescent girls are taught about their growth and development, they will be aware of the developmental changes including periods. Self understanding enables them to manage menstrual health related traumatic stress and how they can access health services and rights.
3. Community organs leading menstrual dialogues: This session aims at breaking the norm that menstrual health discussions is a taboo. Here institutions like churches, schools and community barazas leads the way in discussing menstrual health rights and services.
4. Media for menstrual dialogues: Local media facilities including vernacular local radio stations are used to raise awareness and creating open discussion on menstrual health rights.
Innovation's key features are;
1. Creating menstrual hygiene awareness
2. Ending menstrual health traumatic stress and issues
3. Creating access to menstrual health services and rights
Menstrual hygiene awareness enables adolescent girls, young mothers and the community at large to learn about their sexual reproductive health rights since they can achieve a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being of to the reproductive system.

This is a dialogue where every individual, families, community's organs and the community at large becomes aware about menstrual health rights and menstrual health services. As it has traditionally be known that menstrual health matters are feminine concerns here men are going to be included to make a whole round menstrual health awareness talks and hence equal contribution to challenges of menstrual health issues.

The innovation output will directly reach 200 adolescent girls and 50 young mothers, 20 community leaders including elders, religious leaders and village headmen, 2 primary schools and 2 secondary schools will also be directly be reached and be taught about menstrual hygiene. The outcome of the innovation will be 200 adolescent girls, 50 young mothers, 20 community leaders and 4 school (2primary and 2secondary) will be used to raise awareness about menstrual health. The innovation will have an impact of creating a whole community aware of menstrual health rights.
Scalability: This innovation can be implemented as from the community, county, regional, national and international level to create a global community with open menstrual hygiene dialogues.

Key milestones;
1. 200 adolescent girls will be aware about menstrual health rights and services
2. 50 young mothers will be aware of menstrual health rights and services
3. 20 community leaders will be aware of and be able to facilitate menstrual health education
4. 2 secondary schools will host menstrual health education facilitation
5. 2 primary schools will host menstrual health education facilitation
Timeline: 6 months
Necessary resources:
1 .Financial: 400,000
2. Technical: trainer and Monitoring and Evaluation experts
3. Human: 3 community health workers
Risks
1. Financial shortage: sending request for donor assistance and local resource mobilization among friends and well-wishers.
2. Community resistance: seeking the community consent before project initiation.

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