Today, nearly 130 armed conflicts are devastating communities across the world. On the frontlines stand countless girls, bearing the weight of crisis yet refusing to be silenced. In 2024 alone, 676 million women and girls lived near deadly conflict—the highest recorded figure since the 1990s. But they are not just survivors. They are leaders, advocates, and changemakers fighting for their futures. On this International Day of the Girl Child, we at Harambee Collective honor their resilience, not by celebrating suffering, but by amplifying their voices and calling for concrete action that matches their courage.
At Harambee Collective, we underscore that Day of the Girl is not about symbolism; it is about action. It is an opportunity for the global community to turn commitments into tangible progress, and not only listen to girls, but invest in the futures they are already building. This year, as we honor girls on the frontlines of crisis, Harambee Collective is spotlighting our #SheCan initiative—a movement amplifying the voices of internally displaced adolescent girls and women in Tigray, while championing menstrual health as a fundamental right, not a privilege.
The genocidal war in Tigray erupted in 2020 and left behind deep and lasting devastation. Although a Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (CoHA) was signed in November 2022, silencing the guns, peace remains elusive. Beyond destroying vital infrastructure and collapsing one of Ethiopia’s strongest health systems, the war displaced more than 2 million people, fueled manmade famine, and saw the widespread use of sexual violence as a weapon of war.
Conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) has deep and lasting impacts on survivors’ menstrual health, especially in displacement contexts where essential health services are limited. Survivors of CRSV may experience severe physical injuries, infections, and psychological trauma that disrupt menstrual cycles or cause long-term reproductive health complications. For thousands of women and girls who survived such violence in Tigray, makeshift displacement camps have become home for the past five years. When people are displaced, their access to resources and core services may come to a halt, but menstruation does not.
These camps–overcrowded, under-resourced, and largely abandoned by the international community–offer little in the way of safety, privacy, or dignity. Instead, they continue to strip away the very humanity of those forced to live within them, especially women and girls. The lack of safe, private sanitation facilities and menstrual products further compounds vulnerability and forces those who menstruate to manage their periods in unsafe and undignified conditions. Stigma surrounding both sexual violence and menstruation often silences survivors, preventing them from seeking care or support.
To deepen understanding and begin addressing the barriers that displaced women and girls in Tigray face in accessing menstrual health, Harambee Collective conducted the first post-conflict Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) needs assessment across the region’s largest camps for internally displaced people (IDPs). Between April and June 2025, we engaged 780 women and girls, along with community leaders and humanitarian workers, in Adigrat, Mekelle, and Shire. Using a mixed-methods approach, we documented lived experiences, analyzed systemic barriers, and generated evidence-based insights to inform and strengthen future humanitarian and public health interventions.
Alarmingly, 80 percent of respondents reported living in period poverty—unable to access enough menstrual products to manage their periods safely and hygienically. This means that four out of five displaced women and girls lacked the basic materials needed to complete a single menstrual cycle with dignity. In the absence of adequate supplies, many were forced to use improvised materials such as torn cloth, rags, or paper—often reused without proper cleaning—putting them at serious risk of infection and long-term health complications.
The challenges extended beyond access to products. More than 45 percent of respondents reported being unable to change their menstrual materials in a safe and private space. In camps where communal latrines lack both locks and lighting, this lack of privacy not only strips women and girls of dignity but also heightens their vulnerability to gender-based violence.
Clean water and soap—essentials for menstrual hygiene—were also in critically short supply. Only about one-third of those surveyed had reliable access to water during menstruation, and fewer than 20 percent had enough soap for handwashing or cleaning reusable materials.
The assessment also highlighted how overlapping forms of vulnerability intensify the menstrual health crisis among displaced women and girls in Tigray. Unaccompanied girls—already among the most at risk—emerged as some of the most marginalized during aid distributions, often overlooked and exposed to heightened risks of neglect and exploitation. For women and girls with disabilities, the barriers are even greater: inaccessible latrines and water points, combined with social exclusion and stigma, further limit their ability to access essential menstrual products and support.
These challenges are compounded by entrenched cultural stigma around menstruation, which continues to fuel silence, shame, and isolation. Over 35 percent of respondents reported feeling ashamed during their periods—shame reinforced by the lack of privacy, inadequate facilities, and absence of supportive care environments.
The crisis has been further exacerbated by recent foreign aid cuts, which forced the suspension of key humanitarian programs providing menstrual health supplies, leaving thousands of displaced women and girls without vital support.
In response to this alarming crisis, Harambee Collective, in collaboration with the Sisterhood group, launched the #SheCan initiative—a focused effort to mobilize both in-kind and financial resources to address the urgent menstrual health needs of individuals in the displacement camps. Thanks to the generosity of communities in Tigray and around the world, we provided a six-month supply of sanitary pads to 3,000 displaced adolescent girls and women across the IDP camps in Adigrat, Mekelle, and Shire. Priority was given to those most vulnerable, including unaccompanied girls and women with disabilities.
For many, this was their first access to menstrual products in months—a small but vital step toward restoring dignity amid crisis. While this initiative has brought immediate relief and hope, the overwhelming need remains far from met.
We therefore call on all relevant stakeholders to urgently:
