In Colombia, HealthNet TPO works with communities to strengthen wellbeing, equality, and peace. As part of the Women Advocates for Peace programme, girls and women in La Macarena, Meta, came together to explore how menstrual health, collective care, and gender equality are linked to the prevention of gender-based violence.
Together with ICCO and Somos Martina, we facilitated workshops where participants learned to make their own reusable pads — combining sustainability, autonomy, and practical menstrual health knowledge. The sessions also strengthened awareness of sexual and reproductive rights, challenged social norms that limit girls and women, and promoted collective wellbeing as a pathway towards equality and peace.
Throughout the sessions, participants reflected on how recognising and exercising sexual and reproductive rights are key to preventing gender-based violence. They discussed how menstrual education can promote inclusion, dignity, and safe environments that foster equal opportunities. Through creative activities such as drawings, group discussions, and symbolic rituals, they expressed what care means to them: caring for themselves, for others, for the environment, and for their communities.
