OUR MISSION
Your Time Women’s Empowerment Foundation (Your Time) believes that empowering girls and women with the support and sustainable resources to manage menstrual hygiene will enable them to complete their education, realize their potential, contribute to their communities and ultimately rise above poverty.
OUR PROGRAM PHILOSOPHY
Your Time believes that the greatest impact in any community comes from within. Our program philosophy relies on building lasting and durable partnerships with community leaders and organizations who will be able to lead the delivery of Your Time programs in a way that will achieve the greatest results for local women and girls who participate while being completely sensitive to and respectful of the local community’s traditions, cultures, and unique characteristics.
OUR PROGRAM
Your Time will partner with community leaders and community-based organizations to identify groups of girls and women whose education, employment and daily lives can be improved through access to free, reliable and reusable menstrual supplies. Your Time will then work with manufacturers and our community partners to provide reusable medical-grade silicone menstrual cups at no cost to the community. The cups will be delivered to the community partner, who will be responsible for delivering a program for local women and girls that meets Your Time’s criteria including education, counselling, support, and monitoring while respecting the community’s traditions, cultures and unique characteristics.
OUR PARTNERSHIP PRINCIPLES
Designing a Your Time program begins with identifying the right community partner(s) to deliver it. Selecting the right organization can be the difference between success or failure; between empowering girls and women and alienating them.
Recognizing that each community, and therefore each program, is unique, Your Time has identified the following principles that each potential community partner must demonstrate in order to be considered:
Community-based:
Your Time will partner only with community organizations, leaders or networks that can demonstrate meaningful, active and ongoing involvement in their community. It is not necessary to be a formally recognized non-profit organization, however all potential community partners must recognize that Your Time’s mandate is oversee programs that operate on a non-profit basis, with all services and supplies being offered free of charge to participating women and girls.
Capacity – supporting clients:
Delivering a Your Time program will require potential partners to be able to offer distribution, education, counselling and monitoring services. Each organization will need to determine its own best mix of skillsets and experience, but the minimum expectation is that each organization will provide medical supervision (typically a nurse) and counselling (social worker or equivalent professional) for participants. Each organization will also employ local facilitators who will take mandatory training in order to be able to introduce clients to the menstrual cup concept, provide presentations on the use and proper care of cups, and offer one-on-one conversations prior to distributing the cup to interested clients
Small, local client base:
Your Time believes that the greatest impact can be achieved by supporting and empowering small groups of women within a community. Our aim is not to simply provide large numbers of women and girls with access to a menstrual cup and then leave them on their own. Our goal is to ensure that every woman and girl who participates in a Your Time program has access to ongoing support, counselling and monitoring to enable them to integrate the use of their menstrual cup into their lives as easily as possible. Potential partners will need to be able to demonstrate the ability to identify, recruit, and support small groups of local women and girls to ensure that the client group remains a manageable number, with easy geographic access (for example, within a single neighbourhood, within adjoining neighbourhoods, or within small communities).
THREE-STAGE DELIVERY MODEL
Once Your Time has selected a local partner to deliver a program, we will work with them to design a program that will work locally while respecting our organization’s mandate, philosophy and principles. While each local program will vary, they will all be developed within a staged delivery model.
Our staged delivery model recognizes that even within a small group of clients, support level needs will vary greatly, particularly with age. It also recognizes the importance of initial success in establishing the longevity of a Your Time program by ensuring that each local program begins by serving women and girls who will be the easiest to identify, recruit, support, and monitor.
Your Time recommends that each new organization, or established organizations expanding to new locations begin by offering a Stage 1 program. Consideration may be given in certain circumstances to beginning with a Stage 2 program only if the organization or community demonstrate significant capacity. No organizations or community will be considered for a Stage 3 program unless they have demonstrated success at the Stage 1 or 2 program levels.
Stage 1 Your Time Program:
Clients - Adult women and girls 17 and older
Adult women will have been using some form of menstrual product for many years, and while the menstrual cup will present new challenges in terms of becoming accustomed to insertion, removal, cleaning and storages these challenges will be offset somewhat by the greater level of experience each woman will bring with her as a client.
Girls 17 and older will have been using some form of product for several years, and while the menstrual cup will present them the same new challenges, these may be offset somewhat by their experience to date coupled with their youth and adaptability. Any girl aged 17 or 18 may join a Your Time program on her own, but consultation with her family (beginning with her mother or closest female caregiver) will be recommended for all girls living with their families to provide assurance that the family environment will be supportive of this significant change in their daughter’s monthly routine.
Girls living independently or outside a traditional family setting will be assessed accordingly.
Services – Client intake, distribution and education
Each potential Stage 1 client will be invited to meet with the program’s community facilitator for a discussion of the concept of a menstrual cup, and a presentation on the use and proper care of cups. These meetings may be in a group setting, but each potential client will be offered access to a one-on-one conversation to address any questions, or concerns. If an adult mother and her 17- or 18-year-old daughter attend a group session together they may opt to share their one-on-one session to address their questions and concerns in the context of their family unit.
Support – Medical supervision, ongoing counselling and monitoring
Each Stage 1 client will have access to medical supervision through a local community nurse. Medical services may be provided in a clinical setting if required. While the level of medical supervision provided will vary based on each client’s individual needs, Your Time recommends nursing contact with each client on a monthly basis during the first three months. At the three month mark if the client and nurse are both confident in the client’s proficiency and comfort with using the cup, and no medical issues have arisen they should together determine future follow-up intervals. Your Time does recommend nursing contact continue at a minimum of six-month intervals for a year, at which time the client and nurse may agree to shift to yearly contact unless medical issues present. Regardless of their contact schedule, all Stage 1 clients will have access to “urgent” nursing support for any pressing medical issues or questions that arise.
Each Stage 1 client will be provided ongoing counselling as needed, in recognition that shifting to the use of a menstrual cup may impact a woman or girl’s daily life, as well as her family and/or cultural life. While the level of counselling provided will vary based on each client’s individual needs, Your Time recommends counselling contact with each client on a monthly basis during the first three months, followed by six-month intervals for a year. At that time, the client and counsellor may agree to transition to yearly contact unless issues present. And regardless of their contact schedule, all Stage 1 clients will have access to “urgent” counselling support for any pressing issues or needs that develop.
Each Stage 1 client will be monitored by the community facilitator to identify whether the menstrual cup is meeting her menstrual needs, working within the context of her family and cultural life, and to evaluate whether she considers the support services being provided to her sufficient or requires additional assistance of any kind. Your Time recommends facilitator contact with each client on a monthly basis during the first three months, to be followed by six month intervals for a year. At that time, the client and facilitator may agree to yearly contact.
Stage 2 Program:
Clients - Girls aged 15-16
Girls aged 15-16 will generally have been using some form of menstrual product for a few years and while the menstrual cup will present some new challenges, these may be partially offset by their experience to date.
Any 15- or 16-year-old girl may join a Your Time program provided a consultation with her family (typically mother or closest female caregiver) provides assurance that the family environment will be supportive of this significant change in their daughter’s monthly routine. Strong preference will be given to mother-daughter teams wishing to enroll together, as this may significantly strengthen the supportiveness of the family environment.
Girls living independently or outside a traditional family setting will be assessed accordingly.
Services – Client intake, distribution and education
Each potential Stage 2 client will be invited to meet with the program’s community facilitator for a discussion of the concept of a menstrual cup, and a presentation on the use and proper care of cups. These meetings may be in a group setting, but each potential client will be offered access to a one-on-one conversation to address any questions, or concerns. If an adult mother and her 15- or 16-year-old daughter attend a group session together they may opt to share their one-on-one session to address their questions and concerns in the context of their family unit.
Support – Medical supervision, ongoing counselling and monitoring
Each Stage 2 client will have access to medical supervision through a local community nurse. Medical services may be provided in a clinical setting if required. While the level of medical supervision provided will vary based on each client’s individual needs, Your Time recommends nursing contact with each client on a monthly basis during the first three months. At the three month mark if the client and nurse are both confident in the client’s proficiency and comfort with using the cup, and no medical issues have arisen they should together determine future follow-up intervals. Your Time does recommend nursing contact continue at a minimum of three-month intervals for a year, at which time the client and nurse may agree to shift to twice a year or yearly contact unless medical issues present. Regardless of their contact schedule, all Stage 1 clients will have access to “urgent” nursing support for any pressing medical issues or questions that arise.
Each Stage 2 client will be provided ongoing counselling as needed, in recognition that shifting to the use of a menstrual cup may impact a woman or girl’s daily life, as well as her family and/or cultural life. While the level of counselling provided will vary based on each client’s individual needs, Your Time recommends counselling contact with each client on a monthly basis during the first three months, followed by three-month intervals for a year. At that time, the client and counsellor may agree to transition to yearly or twice-yearly contact unless issues present. And regardless of their contact schedule, all Stage 1 clients will have access to “urgent” counselling support for any pressing issues or needs that develop.
Each Stage 2 client will be monitored by the community facilitator to identify whether the menstrual cup is meeting her menstrual needs, working within the context of her family and cultural life, and to evaluate whether she considers the support services being provided to her sufficient or requires additional assistance of any kind. Your Time recommends facilitator contact with each client on a monthly basis during the first three months, to be followed by three-month intervals for a year. At that time, the client and facilitator may agree to yearly or twice-yearly contact.
Stage 3 Program:
Clients - Girls aged 13-14
Girls aged 13-14 may still be relative newcomers to using menstrual products, and will potentially be the age group with the least degree of comfort discussing any issues. This means that they will require the greatest frequency and intensity of support, drawing most significantly on the capacity of the organization.
Any 13 or 14-year-old girl may join a Your Time program provided a consultation with her family (typically mother or closest female caregiver) provides assurance that the family environment will be supportive of this significant change in their daughter’s monthly routine. Strong preference will be given to mother-daughter teams wishing to enroll together, as this may significantly strengthen the supportiveness of the family environment.
Girls living independently or outside a traditional family setting will be assessed accordingly.
Services – Client intake, distribution and education
Each potential Stage 3 client will be invited to meet with the program’s community facilitator for a discussion of the concept of a menstrual cup, and a presentation on the use and proper care of cups. These meetings may be in a group setting, but each potential client will be offered access to a one-on-one conversation to address any questions, or concerns. If an adult mother and her 13- or 14-year-old daughter attend a group session together they may opt to share their one-on-one session to address their questions and concerns in the context of their family unit.
Support – Medical supervision, ongoing counselling and monitoring
Each Stage 3 client will have access to medical supervision through a local community nurse. Medical services may be provided in a clinical setting if required. While the level of medical supervision provided will vary based on each client’s individual needs, Your Time recommends nursing contact with each client on a monthly basis during the first year. At the end of the first year if the client, her mother/caregiver and nurse are confident in the client’s proficiency and comfort with using the cup, and no medical issues have arisen, Your Time recommends nursing contact continue at three-month intervals for a year, followed by six-month intervals for a year. At that time the client and nurse may agree to shift to yearly contact unless medical issues present. Regardless of their contact schedule, all Stage 3 clients will have access to “urgent” nursing support for any pressing medical issues or questions that arise.
Each Stage 3 client will be provided ongoing counselling as needed, in recognition that shifting to the use of a menstrual cup may impact a woman or girl’s daily life, as well as her family and/or cultural life. While the level of counselling provided will vary based on each client’s individual needs, Your Time recommends counselling contact with each client on a monthly basis during the first year, followed by three-month intervals for a year, and then six month intervals for an additional year. At that time, the client and counsellor may agree to transition yearly contact unless issues present. And regardless of their contact schedule, all Stage 1 clients will have access to “urgent” counselling support for any pressing issues or needs that develop.
Each Stage 3 client will be monitored by the community facilitator to identify whether the menstrual cup is meeting her menstrual needs, working within the context of her family and cultural life, and to evaluate whether she considers the support services being provided to her sufficient or requires additional assistance of any kind. Your Time recommends facilitator contact with each client on a monthly basis during the first year, to be followed by three-month intervals for a year. At that time, the client and facilitator may agree to yearly or twice-yearly contact.
PROGRAM EVALUATION
Each program partner will agree to provide regular progress reports to Your Time. Your Time does not intend to impose strenuous reporting requirements that would draw resources away from program delivery, but it is essential that we understand how each program is progressing, and whether any issues or obstacles are arising that Your Time can help address.
Monthly updates will be required from all new programs during their first six months of operation, regardless of which program stage they are operating at. Your Time recommends quarterly progress updates for Stage 1 and 2 programs that have not encountered significant issues during their first six months of reporting. Stage 3 program s may be asked to report monthly for their first year of operation, at which point reporting schedules will be determined jointly with Your Time.