The municipality of Pikine Guinaw-Rails Sud, in the Dakar suburbs, hosted a workshop on Tuesday advocating for improved management of menstrual hygiene for girls in schools, an initiative of the Siggil Jigéen Network. This meeting is part of a long-standing advocacy effort by the organization and its partners, aimed at increasing the involvement of local authorities in managing this issue, given their transferred responsibilities in health and education.

"We came to make a plea to the mayors so that local authorities can fully carry out this mission, especially since health and education fall within their jurisdiction," said Safiatou Diop Fall, president of the Siggil Jigéen Network, at the opening of the workshop.

The meeting brought together territorial elected officials from the departments of Dakar, Guédiawaye and Pikine as well as community actors, representatives from the education and health sectors and partners of the organization, for a day of exchanges and awareness-raising.

According to Ms. Fall, the management of menstrual hygiene is a major issue for the well-being, dignity and academic success of young girls, who often face absenteeism, or even dropping out, due to a lack of adequate conditions in schools.

"As part of decentralization, education and health are transferred responsibilities. The aim here is to create the conditions for the success and development of young girls in order to train future leaders capable of leading this country," she stressed.

She also reaffirmed the Siggil Jigéen Network's commitment to improving and safeguarding the status of Senegalese and African women. In this regard, the network has been implementing a program dedicated to menstrual hygiene management in schools for the past four years, in collaboration with its partners.

Speaking on behalf of the host municipality, Pape Diagne, first deputy mayor of Guinaw-Rails Sud, assured the municipality of its willingness to support initiatives aimed at promoting girls' academic success, particularly through better management of menstrual hygiene.

The Siggil Jigéen Network is a group of non-governmental organizations working to promote and protect the rights of women and girls in Senegal.