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About us !
Our story
HAPPIH was founded in 2016 as a non-profit organization with the mission to improve health and hygiene education in France and Morocco, to provide teenage girls access to necessary menstrual products. We also aim to break the taboos around menstruations.
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We lead campaigns that are age- and culture-appropriate for teenagers, adults and which are taught in the local language and attended by medical professionals. We also aim to include boys during our workshops.
To date, we have conducted 7 campaigns for more than 1,200 girls, which have received custom, HAPPIH kits with reusable, cloth sanitary pads.
Our goals
Prevention
Raising awareness
around intimate hygiene and women's health.
solution
Giving custom, HAPPIH kits with reusable, cloth sanitary pads.
taboos
Breaking taboos around period.
Development
Promoting personal development & fighting against girls' dropping out.
lobbying
Influencing public policy.
"Menstrual health is necessity. That’s it. Not optional.
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People treat menstruation as a taboo subject because it relates to sex, but it’s not really about sex- that’s just a piece of it. It is about taking care of our bodies. It is about making our own decisions when it comes to family planning, birth control, pad versus the cup or tampons. It is about having the information we need to make these informed decisions, and not being feared or distrusted to do so.
We understand our bodies, so let us choose how to take care of them.
In Morocco, this is compounded by the lack of access to clean and hygienic bathrooms. Let’s face it, these bathrooms are made for men. They do not always have running water, a bare minimum for sanitation. We must look at these issues and support each other."
Testimonials
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"Today, I’m talking about confusion. I grew up in a family where the subject of menstrual health was not a taboo. I remember talking to my parents about my pain and going with my father to buy pads. But as I got older, and started to do things on my own, I was shocked by the fact that they disguise the pads in a paper bag when you buy them at the store. I had a long conversation with my mom. I was so confused.
Proudly and always, I will not hide the pads away. We’re all doing our part to change the mentality and the culture so that women do not feel ashamed for being simply, naturally, women."
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"In Morocco, our lives are governed by the idea of 7chouma. And so we hide away so much of ourselves.
By doing this, we put ourselves in danger. We compromise our health. Fear and shame inhibit our personal development.
Us girls shouldn’t be ashamed of having a period. We cannot be afraid of our own body. We have to take care of ourselves and let go of the societal pressures and “7chouma” that we have felt the weight of all of our life. We have to embrace our body and mind. My dream is to see Moroccan girls feel empowered and independent."