The presentation features a project in Guatemala, Rwanda, and the US conducted by Georgetown University's Institute for Reproductive Health to develop and test a tool to help adolescent girls learn about, track, and better manage their menstrual cycles for improved health outcomes

1. E X P A N D I N G F A M I L Y P L A N N I N G O P T I O N S
CYCLESMART
KIT

2. Why ASRH and VYA?
• Critically important issue worldwide but little progress on programs
for very young adolescents
• Ages 10 to 14 is a critical developmental period
•solidifying sexual and gender identities,
•developing attitudes and skills that lay the foundation for future
sexual and reproductive health and wellbeing
• Puberty- and fertility awareness empowers youth to make
appropriate decisions about sexual behavior
• Girls and boys often enter puberty with little information

3. Addressing the SRH needs of VYA
IRH has developed tools that:
• Address the gaps in materials for use in VYA SRH
programs
• These tools are centered on
• Fertility awareness - the basis of
understanding SRH
• Body literacy - Enabling young people to
recognize physical /emotional change plus how
gender and social norms influence their sexual
and reproductive selves
• Safety and self care

4. Why a CYCLESMART KIT?
• CycleBeads has been used in
the United States and Africa
to teach young people about
puberty
• No guidance or tools on
how to use CycleBeads
effectively to teach young
people about fertility and
puberty

5. The CYCLESMART Brochure
• Uses colorful illustrations, young protagonists,
storytelling, and games to convey information related
to
• tracking, understanding, and preparing for your menstrual
cycle;
• understanding the physical, psychological, and sociological
changes that accompany puberty;
• and tips on staying safe.
• Adapted to each country context; exists in English,
Kinyarwanda, Spanish

6. The CYCLESMART KIT
• The CycleSmart Kit is designed to help young people, ages 10 to
14, develop an awareness of their emerging fertility and make
decisions which promote their health
• The CycleSmart Kit helps parents, teachers, health providers, peer-
educators and others talk to young girls and boys about their
changing bodies and how to stay healthy and safe
• The basic CycleSmart Kit includes CycleBeads and a simple,
factual brochure about puberty and fertility. It can also include
sanitary pads, a diary, a calendar, and information on how to contact
local health providers

7. CYCLESMART KIT Programmatic Guidelines
• Provides tips and resources on how to use the
CycleSmart Kit to teach boys and girls about
puberty and fertility
• Targeted toward youth-focused organizations,
parents, educators, health providers, religious
leaders and others
• Intended to be user-friendly and practical

8. Product Development and Testing
Developed CycleSmart
brochure through:
10-15 Key Informant
Interviews
Desk Review
FGDs with boys and girls
(ages 15-17)
Refined CycleSmart
brochure through:
6 weeks of field-testing by
VYA girls
FGDs withVYA boys and
girls (ages 12-14)
FGD with parents of VYAs
Tested Brochure+Pads
as CycleSmart Kit
through:
5 weeks of field-testing by
4 youth-serving
organizations in 10 sites
(urban and rural)

9. The Arts

10. Peer Education
Community Dialogue
MicroEnterprise

11. Key findings from Field-Testing
• The CycleSmart Kit helped girls understand changes during their
menstrual cycle, including natural secretions and menses.
• Girls were able to easily use CycleBeads to track their menstrual
cycles, determine their regularity, and prepare accordingly using AfriPads.
• The CycleSmart Kit was appreciated by both VYAs and parents as a
needed tool which filled a gap that no other tool or resource was
addressing.
• The CycleSmart Kit helped facilitate important puberty
discussions between VYAs and their parents, peers and friends.
• The CycleSmart Kit was able to generate interest among VYA boys
regarding girls pubertal changes and their own

12. Quotes from Girls:
“Since the time I used the CB, when the
ring of my CB crosses the dark brown
bead, I take my pads with me (in my bag)
because I know my menses are
approaching.”
-VYA girl from Rwamagana
Often we don’t know where to
start in terms of talking to our
kids about puberty so we just
turn them away when they ask
us about it. Thanks for this. The
children have been more open
about discussing and asking
questions about their SRH. It’s
important that children learn
early about puberty changes.
-Female parent from Rwamagana
My mum used to ask me every day
if I had moved the ring or if I had
filled the diary, so I enjoyed it
because she was closer to me and
more concerned.”
-VYA girl from Kicukiro

13. Quotes from Boys:
Using [the CycleSmart Kit] to discuss puberty
changes with parents or teachers will make us
confident to discuss such things with any
person,”VYA boy from Rwamagana
“Although the brochure is
mostly about girls, it’s
important for boys to have
this information because it
helps us understand what
girls are experiencing and to
not tease them about it.”
-VYA Boy from Nyabihu

14. CYCLESMART Evaluation
• Objectives: Measure changes in knowledge and
identify areas of brochure that need strengthening
• 20-item self-administered questionnaire
• Questions on menstruation, fertility, puberty, CB use,
safety
• N=198 (144 Female/ 49 male); age range 11-14 years
old at baseline
• N= 195 (141 Female/47 male); age range 11-14 years
old at endline
• Endline administered 5 weeks after intervention start
• Preliminary findings show increase in correct
responses between baseline and endline for all items
(19/20 were statistically significant; 17 highly
significant)

15. Menstruation
92
88
96
94
82
69
65
88
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
Boys
Girls
Boys
Girls
Baseline
Endline
BoysmenstruationHealthshedding
% of correct responses

16. Puberty and Fertility
68
80
72
81
57
66
55
65
0 20 40 60 80 100
Boys
Girls
Boys
Girls
Baseline
Endline
BodychangesSecretionshealthy
% of correct responses

17. Safety
92
96
94
93
74
82
78
78
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
Boys
Girls
Boys
Girls
Baseline
Endline
Alcoholriskychoicesprivateplaces

18. Use of CycleBeads
83
90
98
96
39
40
84
74
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
Boys
Girls
Boys
Girls
Baseline
Endline
UseofCBKeeponredbead

19. Considerations moving forward
• Does use of CycleSmart Kit also contribute
to changes in attitudes and behaviors?
• How best to efficiently and effectively
adapt Kit to new cultural settings?
• Should CycleSmart Kit be “packaged” with
other products (e.g. MCB, FlipBooks)?

20. E X P A N D I N G F A M I L Y P L A N N I N G O P T I O N S