“That time of the month.” Five words, always mentioned so nonchalantly in reference to Menstruation. The monthly period, however, is a physiological occurrence that will affect half the world’s population during their lifetime, yet it remains a difficult subject to broach. According to the World Health Organization, the average age in which young girls hit puberty is between 10 and 12 years, and preteens don’t always know what to do, who to ask and how to take care of themselves and their bodies. Even older teens might not find the information and support they need simply because they do not feel socially empowered to do so.
Enter Toofoola, a parenting platform born in the Middle East, and their most recent campaign to raise awareness about menstrual health for teenagers. The organization’s first awareness effort focuses on adolescent menstrual health and addresses a variety of themes relevant to teens and their parents under “The Teens Project”, a Toofoola initiative that focuses on multiple topics important for teenagers and their parents.
The campaign centers around the menstrual heath topic, including education, myths and taboos, and period management. Toofoola will also be releasing testimonials of many partners on this campaign through video and interviews, as well as launching a competition and a raffle draw on a menstrual kit. The campaign will also include a podcast focused on teenagers to answer any questions, issues or challenges that parents may have.
The project has gained the official partnership of MHDay along with the support and partnership of multiple initiatives, experts and NGOs from around the Arab region, such as Wing Woman Lebanon, Dr. Rana Hany in Egypt, Lizzom in the UAE, Zina Malas in Jordan and BB pads in the UK.
Menstrual health is a state of physical, mental and social well-being in relation to the menstrual cycle. It is a women’s health issue that is often neglected or worse, is considered taboo. This is why education is the first step towards breaking the silence by making information and scientific knowledge more accessible to those who need it.
Juliette Zeidan, midwife and founder of Toofoola. com said: “Toofoola’s menstrual health campaign will aim to educate and empower adolescent girls to take control of their bodies. The campaign will also seek to break the taboo around menstrual health and educate both boys and girls. In addition, Toofoola will be partnering with organizations that provide menstrual products and hygiene education to teen girls in need.” By raising awareness about these issues, Toofoola hopes to make a difference in the lives of teenage girls around the world.
Jiji, as everyone calls her, is a mother of 2, a wife, and a certified midwife. Born into a family of four sisters and raised in a charming village in the mountains of Lebanon, Jiji was raised on family values that she embodied throughout her life and her career.
Her journey as a midwife started in 1993 with her studies at the Lebanese university. She had an interest in the medical field, but her choice of midwifery was particularly exceptional to her as it deals more with a human’s happiest moment of life, delivering a new life. She delivered more than 500 babies until she got married and moved to Kuwait.
Being away from her mother and family, Juliette had to navigate her pregnancy, motherhood, parenthood with her husband utilizing her own professional knowledge. This is when Toofoola. com was born.
Toofoola started with the idea of writing and documenting baby rhymes in Arabic to help moms sing to their babies’ Arabic lullabies. This idea grew and moms started asking Juliette for help and support throughout their pregnancy and motherhood as they were away from their mothers back home as she was. At that moment, inspired by their need, she started a blog with articles discussing different topics based on her personal experience, as a mother and a wife, and her professional experience as a midwife.
In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, and after working in the corporate world for more than 18 years, Juliette decided to focus on her passion Toofoola.com and make it her full focus and full-time job.
Realizing the role technology played in delivering her content since day one through the blogsite, Juliette decided to continue on this path by capitalizing on her content delivery through social media and podcasting. She creates and delivers weekly content to her audience through Instagram, facebook and the website, and bi-weekly audio content through her podcast. Her Arabic podcast titled “Ahlieh Be Mahalieh” delivers 7 to 8 episodes per season and is available across all major podcast directories such as Apple, Spotify, Google, Anghami and more.
Although a professional healthcare in her own right, Juliette still believes that the advice of a parent or grandparent to a parent or parent-to-be is priceless. Yet combining it with medical and professional know-how will definitely help today’s parents navigate the fast-changing daily challenges in having and raising children, specifically in the Arab region and North Africa. And this is the ground upon which her philosophy of content creation is built.
The Teen project brings Toofoola’s philosophy, values and beliefs full circle by creating the content and tools that can help girls navigate this turbulent time in their lives. Juliette adds, “Adolescent girls are particularly vulnerable to poor menstrual hygiene due to a lack of knowledge and understanding about their bodies. This can lead to serious health problems, such as pelvic inflammatory disease, urinary tract infections and reproductive issues. In addition, poor menstrual hygiene can also cause mental health problems, stress and shame.”
The campaign will extend over two months, overlapping with the Menstrual Hygiene Day on May 28. The campaign is the first phase of a three phase project.
If you’re a teenager or parent of a teenager, make sure to check out the Toofoola website for more information at teens.toofoola.com. Let’s break the silence around menstrual health! Follow @toofoola_official on Instagram.
