CycleSmart™ Kit

CycleSmart™ is a package of tools tailored to girls ages 10-14. It was developed and tested in collaboration with youth-serving organizations in Rwanda and Guatemala and is based on research conducted with adolescents, their parents, and their communities. The Kit includes CycleBeads (the color-coded beads typically used with the Standard Days Method of family planning that can also be a visual and tactile way of teaching girls about menstruation and fertility); a calendar; a weekly diary; reusable/washable sanitary napkins; and a country-specific brochure called CycleSmart, which includes topics like the menstrual cycle, puberty-related changes, risk of pregnancy, gender norms, and safety tips. The CycleSmart™ Brochure uses young protagonists, games and storytelling to convey information related to tracking, understanding, and preparing for the menstrual cycle and puberty, and tips on staying safe. Evaluation results show that CycleSmart is a useful tool for teaching boys and girls about puberty and fertility.

The images from the brochure are available as separate files for the African context should they need to be used to create additional materials.

Keywords: Spanish, Kinyarwanda, VYA, Rwanda, Guatemala

• cyclebeads
• cyclebeads