Team:
Aly Beeman, Faith Anne Acam, Geetika Pandya, Joseph Kwesiga, Jordan Levine, Saehee Lee, Tanya Bhandari
Role:
As the project lead in Uganda for YLabs, I was responsible for user research, prototyping, testing, stakeholder and partner engagement, overseeing pilot construction, and documentation.
Problem:
Women and girls in refugee camps lack access to sanitary pads, washing supplies, and safe, private spaces for managing menstruation. This affects an estimated 3 million individuals.
Solution:
In partnership with Alight and Kuja Kuja, YLabs co-designed the Cocoon Mini, a semi-permanent latrine and bathing area within household compounds, to streamline and safeguard the menstruators’ experience. The intervention increased access to water and addressed menstrual hygiene management on a household level, with 95% of menstruators reporting it made menstrual hygiene management easier for them.
Outcome:
We completed design research, co-design, and rough prototyping with 61 participants. Four prototypes were tested with 84 participants, and 20 'Cocoon Mini' units were constructed for a pilot study with 193 community members over 3 months. In total, 338 members of the Bidibidi settlement took part in the co-creation of the Cocoon project.
Our research, published in BMC Women's Health, highlights the potential of the Cocoon Mini as a cost-effective and impactful solution for humanitarian contexts.
