The Nest International project – Sustainable menstrual health management among the Nest International’s users in Copenhagen

About:

The Nest International is an independent private institution based in Copenhagen, Denmark, that supports foreign sex workers in Copenhagen who can be victims of human trafficking. The organisation offers a number of services that cover the women’s needs, including access to health care and legal consultancy and a calm physical space with clean facilities.

WoMena is collaborating with the Nest International to conduct a pilot project, assessing the acceptability of menstrual cups as a menstrual health management method among women using the Nest International’s services. The pilot project includes training about menstruation, menstrual health management as well as in menstrual cup usage.

The women who use the Nest International generally lack knowledge of their body, menstruation and hygiene. Many of the women use unhygienic products during their menstruation, such as cotton wool, face wipes, cloths and the like, which are cheap and easily accessible for women with little means for menstrual products. Over the course of 2018, the partners are collaborating on providing the women with knowledge about menstrual health and hygiene as well as introducing the OrganiCup menstrual cups as a safe menstrual management product. The objective is to build interest among 10-25 women who will be given a menstrual cup. The acceptability of the menstrual cup among the women will be evaluated in February 2019 based on follow-up calls with the women. Based on the lessons learned and recommendations from the pilot project it will be assessed whether the project should be scaled up.