In many parts of the world, including West and Central Africa, adolescent girls lack fundamental knowledge about their menstrual cycles. This knowledge gap can lead to misconceptions, stigma, and even missed educational opportunities. Recognizing the critical importance of menstrual health for the well-being and empowerment of women and girls, UNFPA and Immi hosted a strategic workshop. UNFPA has expanded the Immi Watch initiative to the region, following a successful pilot in Burkina Faso. The initiative aims to provide young girls with an accessible, discreet, and innovative way to track their menstrual cycles and gain essential health knowledge.

Scaling Innovation to Meet a Widespread Need

After launching the Immi Watch in Burkina Faso, interest quickly spread across neighboring countries, underscoring the urgent need for innovative menstrual health solutions. According to Sarah Cottee, CEO of Immi, the demand was clear: “Globally, adolescent girls lack fundamental knowledge on their menstrual cycle, yet investment and innovation in tools to address this gap have often been overlooked. With fashionable gadgets popular amongst youth in the region, Immi Watch provides a simple, discreet, and app-free way for girls to track their cycles, fitting seamlessly into their lives while empowering them with essential knowledge about their bodies.”

The Burkina Faso pilot revealed that beyond tracking their cycles, many girls had additional questions about their reproductive health. This insight is shaping Immi’s approach to expansion, ensuring that the watch serves as both a tool for self-awareness and an entry point to broader sexual and reproductive health (SRH) education.

“One of the biggest takeaways from our pilot in Burkina Faso was the importance of design. Expanding color options, designs, and even form factors will be crucial in driving adoption and reinforcing the idea that ‘tracking your cycle is cool.’” added Sarah.

A Collaborative Approach to Sustainable Impact

UNFPA WCARO sees the Immi Watch not only as a product but as a conversation starter about menstrual health. The initiative aligns with broader efforts to integrate innovative solutions into national health strategies and break the silence around menstrual health.

Sakarias Eriksson, Innovation Specialist at UNFPA WCARO, highlighted the importance of leveraging such innovations to strengthen advocacy: “For us, innovations like the Immi Watch are a fantastic way to shine a spotlight on menstrual health in general. It’s an area that sadly doesn’t always get the attention it deserves. We can use the buzz around these kinds of solutions to start important conversations—with our UN partners, with governments, with everyone—to really make the case for why investing in MHM isn’t just the right thing to do for women and girls; it’s also a smart move for overall development.”

Workshops like the recent UNFPA-hosted session allow for a cross-learning approach where tech innovators and health experts exchange insights. By engaging with government stakeholders, donors, and NGOs, UNFPA ensures that menstrual health innovations like the Immi Watch are aligned with national SRH programs and scalable within local health infrastructures.

Sakarias further emphasized the need for practical integration into health systems: “I think we’re past the point of asking if solutions like the Immi Watch work. We know they do. Now, it’s about figuring out where and how a solution like this can be integrated into the wider health system. We need to find those win-win opportunities where a solution like Immi Watch allows for the expansion of MHM services across the board.”

Looking Ahead

To sustain impact, strong partnerships are crucial. Governments provide the necessary infrastructure, NGOs facilitate community engagement, and donors drive investment in female health. As the Immi Watch initiative expands, UNFPA WCARO and Immi are committed to ensuring that every girl has the knowledge and tools to understand her menstrual cycle, ultimately improving her health, education, and future prospects.

With continued collaboration and innovation, menstrual health solutions like the Immi Watch can reshape the narrative around menstrual health in West and Central Africa—one cycle at a time.