About WASH United
WASH United is a Berlin-based non-profit founded in 2011. Over the years, we have shifted our focus from water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) to menstrual health and hygiene (MHH) to help address the persisting menstruation-related challenges 500 million women and girls around the world face every month.
Limited access to menstrual products, lack of information, persisting stigma and social exclusion don’t just undermine their health, education and professional opportunities, but cause billions of USD of economic damage for countries around the world.
Our goal is to create a period-friendly world where no woman or girl is held back because of her period.
Our model for collective impact at global scale
This model works. In 2025, Menstrual Hygiene Day, together with over 1,300 partners, generated more than 25,000 pieces of media coverage and reached close to one billion people around the world. Our educational solutions are used by over 700 projects in more than 100 countries and currently reach around 400,000 girls with period education per year.
In addition, we engage in strategic advocacy throughout the year to increase the political relevance of MHH and mobilise more funding for the issue.
Menstrual Hygiene Day
Together for a period-friendly World
Due to taboos and stigma, MHH continues to be neglected at all levels. That’s why in 2014, WASH United initiated the Menstrual Hygiene Day (MH Day) campaign to raise awareness and catalyse action on the issue. Celebrated annually on 28 May, MH Day has since grown into a global movement working together for a period-friendly world. WASH United develops the campaign strategy, provides free campaign materials, offers capacity-building, tracks results, and engages key actors, incl. UNICEF, the Worldbank, governments, and NGOs.
Period Education Global
Enabling period education for girls everywhere
Our Education Guide enables any organisation around the world to carry out a group-based workshop on periods. The workshop provides girls with essential knowledge about their bodies, strengthens their confidence, and creates a sense of community among participants. It can seamlessly be integrated into a wide range of programmes. The Guide is available in more than 30 language and regional versions.
Period Education Germany
Providing schools with easy-to-use solutions for girls and boys
In Germany, one in five girls doesn’t know what’s happening to her when she gets her first period. Drawing on what we’ve learned about period education in other world regions, we developed a solution for Germany: “Ellas Welt”. Since 2026, a Guide for boys is available, too.