Guidance Note: Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) Kits and Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) Programming

Plan International has prepared a technical briefing and guidance note on Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) kits linking it with Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) Programming. The document highlights the use of CVA as a modality to define and distribute the MHM kits when the prevailing conditions are favourable.

The document provides an overview on the needs and importance of MHM kits in emergencies and its linkage with the CVA. It also provides some useful tips on the design and delivery of MHM kits integrating with the sexual and gender based violence and the protection activities. A case study from Indonesia has also been presented to demonstrate how MHM kits distribution could be undertaken using a CVA approach. All other requirements about a kit distribution also apply here (i.e, accessibility of the site, safety and security, PSEA -Protection against Sexual Exploitation and Abuse).

The document is intended for the humanitarian practitioners, primarily dealing with the MHM through CVA modality. This is also targeted for those who are working on sexual and gender based violence and protection of adolescent girls and young women.

CVA as a modality has been recommended due its relative advantages such as flexibility, dignified means, cost efficiency, and less logistic hassles over other modalities (such as in-kind) and this in the interest of adolescent girls and young women during any humanitarian response.