HAMAMAS MERI
A social enterprise improving gender equality by raising the participation of women and girls in all aspects of life.
Because PNG women & girls shouldn’t be held back.
Despite menstruation being a social and economic challenge directly affecting 50% of the population and, indirectly, entire communities, the topic remains taboo for many. Without safe, hygienic solutions young girls are forced to isolate themselves and routinely miss school. Their higher absenteeism negatively impacts their academic performance and ultimately diminishes economic prosperity. When leaves, newspaper and rags are the only options to deal with menstruation, the risk of infection is high.
THE CHALLENGE
Across developing countries a lack of access to cheap, affordable access to safe and hygienic feminine hygiene products is causing women and girls to miss out on life.
For the majority of PNG women and girls living subsistence livelihoods, store bought products are unaffordable, typically inaccessible and generally regarded as luxury items to be purchased only after all other family needs have been met.
Because PNG women & girls shouldn’t be held back.
THE PROGRAMME
Working in partnership with village women’s groups and community leaders, Hamamas Meri provides training and support for a locally driven response to the menstruation challenge in rural PNG.
3 CORE TRAINING MODULES
Improving the accessibility of safe, hygienic feminine hygiene products is an important element of the programme. The way this is achieved is equally as important. Wantaim PNG believes that free handouts are rarely the best solution.
Despite being easiest to implement, free handouts typically undermine genuine efforts towards sustainable, community led development.
The Hamamas Meri programme comprises 3 core training modules and a marketing overlay to help secure kit sales and valuable income for participating groups. When women’s groups unite to solve their own problems, individual self esteem and fellowship is strengthened and entire communities reap the benefits. Hamamas Meri is tok pisin for ‘happy women or girls’.
This concept is central to Wantaim PNG’s reason for being: supporting rural PNG communities to thrive.
HAMAMAS MERI
Because PNG women & girls shouldn’t be held back
IMPACT
Hamamas Meri harnesses the importance of community – women’s fellowship – in Melanesian culture to deliver 10 of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
