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Breaking the Silence: Voices from Our Menstrual Health Workshops 2024–2025
A heartfelt note from our founder
A period is not the end, it’s just the beginning!
As of 2025, females make up 49.73% of the world’s population.
Like it or not, we need to talk about periods, about menstruation, because this is part of who we are. It is a gift we should all be proud of.
Yet, in many places, people still find the topic “dirty” or feel uncomfortable discussing it. That mindset perplexes me, and frankly, it needs to stop.
A girl should never have to hide her feelings or curiosity about her period. She should never be deprived of knowledge. We are all interconnected as human beings, and if you look around, there is a female presence in every household, every family, every workplace.
I hope you will be as inspired by the following testimonials as I am. They show just how important your generous contributions are to the schoolgirls who took part in GNWL workshops. Your support is the reason we can continue this mission, and for that, on behalf of the girls, the GNWL team, and myself, I thank you.
Onwards,
Bienvenue Konsimbo
Founder, Girl Now Woman Later
I felt heard and comfortable: Testimony from a Participant Menstrual Health Workshop in Schools
Today, we had a workshop organized by the association Girl Now Woman Later about managing menstruation in the school environment. It was a very warm and lively workshop. The women from the organization were incredibly open to our questions. They answered with enthusiasm, and the students were very engaged. We asked a lot of questions, because menstruation is something that affects us deeply as girls and future women.
As I mentioned, we participated a lot. The workshop was held in a calm and respectful atmosphere. Since menstruation is still a taboo topic in our society, we made a point of asking direct questions and speaking honestly. We were able to learn and understand as much as possible from what we discussed today.
“What would you like to say to the organization?”
What I want to say to the organization is that their mission is truly, truly important. What they are doing matters a lot for girls, especially for us girls in Africa. Menstruation is still such a taboo subject. It’s not easy for a girl here to open up and talk about her period. It’s really difficult. But this organization helped us open our minds. They helped us see the topic of menstruation in schools from a new perspective.
“Any final thoughts?”
I want to say thank you thank you so much to the organization. We truly appreciated today’s session. It touched us deeply. Their work won’t be forgotten. We will do everything we can to grow, to become strong women, women of tomorrow. Maybe one day, we’ll start our own organizations, our own NGOs, and contribute to our community both today’s society and tomorrow’s.
We are young girls now, but we are the changemakers of the future.
I wish more girls could benefit from this Testimony from a Participant Menstrual Health Workshop in Schools
“What did you take away from today’s workshop?”
“This workshop was a real honor for me, because I learned so many things I didn’t know before. I learned how to protect myself during menstruation, the hygiene practices we need to follow to avoid infections, and many other important things.”
“Do you have a special message for the organization?”
“Yes. I would like to say thank you for this training, for everything we learned, and for the knowledge we gained. I also want to thank the organization, and I hope many other girls will have the same opportunity and benefit from it. Thank you so much.”
Giving a period kit is giving a girl the chance to stay in school:Testimony from a Participant Menstrual Health Workshop in Schools
"Honestly, I learned a lot. Thanks to the Girl Now Woman Later association, I learned how to protect myself, how to stay clean, how to avoid infections, and what to do when I have my period. Before this session, there were things I didn’t understand, or things I didn’t know I shouldn’t do but today, I learned so much. I now know what I should and shouldn’t do to take care of myself during menstruation.
I truly thank the Girl Now Woman Later association for also providing us with menstrual kits. May God bless them! I hope other students, especially girls, will also get this kind of opportunity.
We are the women of tomorrow, the future lawyers, future presidents, and future journalists. We deserve the same chances to thrive as boys do, because as the saying goes: educating a girl is educating a nation."
I can have my period and still go to school: Testimony from a Participant Menstrual Health Workshop in Schools
“You participated in the workshop today—what did you take away from it?”
“This morning, I took part in the training on menstrual health in schools. I learned a lot: how to protect myself, how to stay clean during my period. Honestly, it brought me great joy to be part of this session, because there were many things I didn’t know, and I learned them today. It was truly an excellent experience.
I want to thank the Girl Now Woman Later association, because the topic you brought us is so important and relevant. Personally, I had a friend in 6th grade who dropped out of school because of her period.
So, we truly thank you. It’s a great joy for us to participate in this workshop. Thank you and may God bless you.
Hello Knowledge, goodbye ignorance: Testimony from a Participant Menstrual Health Workshop in Schools
I am very happy to have participated in this awareness session organized by Girl Now Woman Later. From now on, I will know how to take care of my menstrual hygiene and be able to advise my friends on how to manage hygiene during their periods. I am really glad to have attended this session. Thank you very much.”
Male inclusion matters: “I am an English teacher and youth mentor in this school, thank you for the opportunity!”
Periods are not just a woman’s issue. Male inclusion matters: Testimony from a Participant Menstrual Health Workshop in Schools
“Today, we hosted an association that addresses women’s issues. So, what did you take away from today’s activity? What would you like to say about it?”
“Okay, let me say this was the opportunity of the year. It was truly wonderful! The trainers did an excellent job, and the topic was very interesting! Girl Now Woman Later is doing amazing work, and I really enjoyed the training.
As a man, I appreciated it because I can share this knowledge with my sisters, my daughters, and every other girl in the community. I sincerely thank the association and all its partners for this brilliant initiative and the activities you’re organizing.
I’m very happy to see my students benefiting from this training for their well-being. As someone said, sharing is caring,’ and by sharing your knowledge with us, with our sisters, and with our girls and mothers, you’re showing that you truly care about us. Thank you so much, and God bless you!”
#TogetherForAPeriodFriendlyWorld!
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We’ve got big plans this year at Girl Now, Woman Later to continue supporting girls with menstrual education. For the coming school year, our goal is to raise $5,000 by November 30th, 2025. With these funds, we hope to reach 1,000 schoolgirls in underserved public schools across Burkina Faso through our menstrual health workshops.
Each workshop will provide:
- A feminine hygiene kit to support their health and dignity
- School supplies to keep them learning
- Snacks and drinks to make the day special
- Financial assistance for a selected group of students who need extra support
Thank you for your continued support of Girl Now Woman Later as we empower women through body literacy and education.
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