Now Soeum can dream of becoming a teacher

School means everything to 15-year-old Soeum Sreynoch in the small village of Chrey Thom in north-western Cambodia. Here she gets to study her favorite subject biology, here she meets all her friends and here she meets her fantastic teachers every day. Her dream is to one day become a teacher herself and contribute to a safe upbringing for the local children.

But not all girls in Cambodia have the same opportunities as Soeum.

Especially in the remote villages of northwestern Cambodia, where knowledge of girls' personal hygiene is low, access to menstrual protection is poor, and schools often lack safe environments for students to maintain good Menstrual health.

All this means that many girls stay home from school - or at worst, drop out early.

- We were completely misinformed about menstruation before and there were many rumors spread among friends and the elderly in the village. That it hurts a lot, that it's dangerous and that it's shameful to talk about. But now we have been educated in school about personal hygiene and how the body works during menstruation," says Soeum.

We were completely misinformed about menstruation before and there were many rumors spread among friends and the elderly in the village. That it hurts a lot, that it's dangerous and that it's shameful to talk about. But now we have been educated in school about personal hygiene and how the body works during menstruation," says Soeum.

Here in northwestern Cambodia, Erikshjälpen is working with the local organization Hagar to increase knowledge about Menstrual health among the inhabitants of the small villages. The work has been very beneficial and has contributed to the replacement of old habits and traditions with new knowledge and greater openness about girls' personal hygiene.

- I want to see a change. This is a problem that hinders girls' access to education and safety," says Soeum.

The menstrual practices that used to exist in Soeum village were often painful and directly harmful to the girls. Like going down to the nearby river to wash and minimizing the pain with the cold water.

Now there is a completely different knowledge in the village about the importance of a good environment with access to clean water, soap and safe toilets. This ultimately means that more girls want to go to school even when they are menstruating.

- Sometimes I don't feel very well when my period comes at school. I can get stomach aches, have a bad mood and can be rude to my friends. But everything can also be just as normal. At least I've never had to stay home because of my period," says Soeum.