Sexuality Education & Menstrual Health
TACKLING THE TABOOS!
Community outreach will allow us to highlight the benefits and protective factors of talking about sexually-related topics such as consent, body autonomy, and rights.
SEXUALITY EDUCATION
Since our first online workshop with HCA’s managers and interns in El P in early 2021, TabuTabu has run 20 workshops with the team… that's over 230 hours of sex-ed, cumulatively! These workshops are designed to provoke reflection and dialogue regarding different areas of sex, sexuality, and sexual health and rights, modeling safe and brave spaces to explore opinions and perspectives that may vary from our own.
The long-term goal is to be able to make sexuality education an integrated part of PEP programming for HCA’s students. These ongoing professional development workshops aim to enable our in-country team to be able to safely facilitate age-appropriate sex education activities within our PEP programming. Speaking with parents/guardians, educators, and other community members is our next step toward implementing this content. Many adults have not received formal or non-formal sexuality education themselves, and may hold false beliefs about what sex-ed is all about.
WHAT IS MENSTRUATION? WHICH BODIES MENSTRUATE AND WHY? WHAT MESSAGES DOES SOCIETY PROMOTE AOUT MENSTRUATION?
'Period poverty', defined as a lack of access to menstrual products, hygiene facilities, waste management, and education, affects many people globally and causes many menstruators to miss school or work.
MENSTRUAL EDUCATION PROGRAMMING
When Saalt approached HCA with a proposal to trial and roll-out menstrual cups in El Porvenir, HCA got TabuTabu involved to preface the menstrual cup trial with comprehensive menstrual education. Menstrual cups are reusable period products that are significantly cheaper compared to disposable pads or tampons, and also have a huge impact on waste reduction as they can be re-used for 10 years. Using menstrual cups, however, requires insertion into the vagina, which can be a barrier to use for some people. Everyone should have the right to a safe and dignified period and via our partnership with Saalt and TabuTabu, Honduras Child Alliance is striving to empower individuals with the knowledge and long-term solutions to improve their menstrual health, which increases gender equality and opens conversations that bring awareness and break down social stigmas.
Laura helps people get more comfortable thinking, learning, and talking about sex and sexuality so people from all walks of life can engage in safer and healthier relationships with themselves and each other, and contribute to more empathizing and thriving communities.
Leading the sexuality education workshops and co-facilitating the menstrual education program is Laura Ramos Tomás. Laura is a sexuality educator and is the founder of TabuTabu. She is also a previous HCA volunteer, and HCA's very own SRHR Advisor. Return to PROJECTS