The Days for Girls Advocacy Strategy: Creating Impact That Lasts

At Days for Girls, we’re helping transform the global menstrual health space in a way that stands the test of time.

To create meaningful impact that lasts, we pursue advocacy work that shifts social norms and creates more supportive policy environments for menstruators worldwide. From campaigning to capacity-building to cultivating strategic partnerships, our advocacy efforts are foundational to driving long-term, structural change – and empowering women and girls for years to come.

Advocacy Goals

The Days for Girls advocacy strategy is informed by one driving question: what do we wish to see change in the world, and how can we make it happen?

Our overarching goal is to support improved education and livelihood outcomes for women and girls by shattering limitations associated with menstruation. But doing so first requires multiple paradigm shifts in the policymaking space. This is the purpose of our advocacy work! Sustainable change is only possible if governments and advocates prioritize menstrual health at every level, and our three-part vision is to see:

• At the national level: governments that enact legislation and allocate resources to improve norms around menstrual health.

• At the international level: development coalitions, agendas and indicators that include menstrual health.

• At the global level: a global community that recognizes managing menstruation with dignity is a human right and helps to improve education and livelihood outcomes.

The DfG Advocacy Strategy

To bring our vision to life, Days for Girls implements a robust advocacy strategy carried out by volunteers, Enterprise leaders and country offices around the world. Every day, our network is mobilizing to create better, bolder and more supportive policies for menstruators by:

Providing technical support to governments for policy development and implementation. This includes partnering with government leaders to implement new MH frameworks, empowering national figureheads to become menstrual health champions, and supporting the integration of MHH education in public schools. At the local level, DfG Enterprise leaders carry out this work by engaging with community leaders, council members, chiefs and more.

Forming and serving on coalitions for MH and related sectors, like Gender Equity, WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) and Humanitarian Response. Strategic alliances are key to successful coalition-building both regionally and internationally, which is why Days for Girls is constantly engaging with NGOs, multi-laterals and other change agents across sectors. At present, we serve on eight national and international coalitions – including the South Africa Coalition for Menstrual Health Management (SACMHM), which we played a key role in launching in March 2020.

Raising awareness about period poverty. To shift public perceptions around menstruation, DfG leverages a variety of tools in our advocacy toolbox. Sometimes, this means developing and promoting our own awareness campaigns; for example, when DfG Ghana partnered with Plan International to shine a light on increased rates of gender-based violence during pandemic lockdowns. Other times, it means amplifying the diverse voices of allies and influencers already campaigning, mobilizing and speaking out about menstrual health issues. (Check out our Advocacy Volunteer Center to learn more).

Impact That Lasts

From grassroots to global, Days for Girls is forging advocacy pathways that create lasting, transformative change. We envision a better world where menstruators are invested in and prioritized in their communities, countries and on the global agenda -- and that vision is carried forth by our incredible network of DfG advocates, all working in tandem to shatter menstrual health limitations at every level.

Together, we’re ushering in stronger, more supportive policy environments that protect and uplift people with periods for generations to come.