Abstract
The once private experience of Menstruation has become a matter of public discourse within the development sector. Notably, menstrual taboos and stigma are noted to place significant obstacles to gender equality, particularly hindering access to spaces such as education and work institutions that may enhance women's socioeconomic status. NGOs lead MHM interventions for the most part, with governments providing conducive policies to address the issue.
Effective MHM programming aims to attain gender equality by focusing on human rights and achieving SDGs. Most popular interventions aim to provide menstrual products however, existing research highlights limited knowledge regarding processes involved in the formulation of MHM interventions. Building on existing knowledge of MHM, the study examined the processes surrounding the formulation of interventions in Zimbabwe. Mainly how interventions are framed and the dynamics among stakeholders involved in formulating these. In part, it means understanding how the interaction between implementing organisations' goals, donor agencies, and beneficiaries influences existing interventions' formulation.
The qualitative research method was employed through a desk study, observations, and interviews to examine the existing MHM interventions in Zimbabwe. Current interventions seem biased towards technological solutions such as sanitary pads, which do not address structural challenges to gender equality resulting from social and cultural beliefs. Interventions also tend not to be context-specific. The main challenges contributing to this were stringent donor regulations and diminished women's agency. The study recommends that MHM interventions be formulated to be mindful of the interplay of the existing power dynamics between socio-cultural constructions of Menstruation, donor priorities and women's agency in women's organisations.
Key Words: menstrual hygiene management, development, human rights, gender equality, agenda setting agency.