P&G's Tampax and Always Advocate Global Needs of Girls at ICOWHI Conference in Philadelphia

"Keeping Girls in School" Session Aimed to Raise Awareness of Women's Health Issues Around the World

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Apr 14, 2010, 08:00 ET

CINCINNATI, April 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- In an effort to support girls around the world, Procter & Gamble's Always and Tampax brands are dedicated to efforts that further the discussion to raise awareness of ways to help keep vulnerable girls in school. As such, Tampax and Always presented a plenary session entitled, "Keeping Girls in School: Supporting Girls Health to Promote Their Empowerment" at the International Conference on Women's Health Issues (ICOWHI) on Friday, April 9, 2010, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. During the session, an expert panel raised awareness for, and established a dialogue about, supporting vulnerable girls' health and educational needs in order to keep them in school and promote their empowerment. As the ICOWHI Conference aims to address areas of urban planning, design and financing that are likely to promote women's health; the experts analyzed the current situation in urban and rural districts today and discussed new strategies to support vulnerable girls' health to promote their empowerment.

Data shows that girls still account for 55 percent of the out-of-school population, and girls from the poorest households have the lowest primary school attendance ratio. Proven approaches to help keep girls in school include eliminating or reducing school fees, stipends for tuition, books and uniforms; making schools more girl-friendly with private latrines, female teachers, sanitary supplies and an end to harassment and discrimination. Speakers shared actionable ideas for the conference participants to take back to their own communities to help improve the lives and health of girls and women for the conference. These ideas included:

Think about how the lack of water and sanitation affects the overall wellbeing of girls when they begin to menstruate; this issue has not yet been looked at through the eyes of an adolescent, menstruating girl.
Explore what is happening with girls on the verge of puberty - carefully inquiring of adults and of adolescent girls themselves – and if they don't have enough guidance on how to manage their menses and other new aspects of pubertal body change, then help the girls to find a solution.
Start an open dialog about reproductive and sexual health and hygiene, including menstruation, particularly among women but among men, as well.
Consider private-public partnerships to assure access to educational materials, menstrual products, and infrastructure which are essential for a girl to manage her periods effectively and therefore ensure her continued attendance and full participation in school.

Procter & Gamble's Always and Tampax brands have invited experts to speak on the importance of keeping girls in school. Each has been invited to further the discussions and spark debate. These speakers included:

Marni Sommer, DrPh, MSN, RN – Director of SMS Global Health Track Sociomedical Sciences, Executive Editor, Global Public Health and Asst. Professor of Sociomedical Science at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health
Shweta Shukla - Head of External Relations, Procter & Gamble India, Manager for Project Parivartan
Brad Kerner- Adolescent Reproductive Health Senior Specialist, Department of Health and Nutrition, Save the Children
Varina Tjon-A-Ten - Former Dutch Politician, Expert the on impact of inadequate menstrual protection materials on the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals in developing countries

To learn more about the International Conference on Women's Health Issues, go to www.icowhi.org.

About Procter & Gamble

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