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When menstruation is still something that must be kept hidden, how can women and girls grow up healthy, confident, and with dignity?

In the highlands of Papua, menstruation is more than a biological process. It exists at the intersection of knowledge and myth, tradition and change, hardship and hope. For women and girls in Jayawijaya and Mamberamo Tengah, menstrual experiences are shaped by culture, social environments, access to information, sanitation facilities, and the availability of safe and affordable menstrual products.

Breaking the Silence on Menstrual Health: Growing with Dignity: Menstruation, Culture, and Change in Highland Papua brings readers closer to these realities through research findings and the lived experiences of women and girls. The book explores the challenges surrounding menstrual health and hygiene while highlighting the knowledge, experiences, and potential within communities to become active participants in creating change.

Going beyond identifying the challenges, this book presents a practical pathway forward through a co-creation process and the development of reusable menstrual pad prototypes—an alternative designed to be more affordable, sustainable, and responsive to the needs of local communities.

This book is a journey from silence to understanding, from stigma to the courage to speak, and from challenges to innovation.

An important read for anyone who believes that every woman and girl has the right to understand her body, receive the support she deserves, and experience menstruation safely, healthfully, equally, and with dignity.