PERIOD TRACKER | The Oky Philippines app, designed for girls between 10 and 19, is downloadable via the Google Play Store. (Photo from a Google Play Store video)
MANILA, Philippines — A menstrual period tracker app that also provides information about menstrual health and hygiene has been developed by Filipino girls for their peers.
Launched on Friday, the Oky Philippines app was developed in consultation with over 400 girls living in various contexts nationwide — including indigenous peoples, out-of-school youth, and children with disabilities, as well as among teachers, parents, and boys.
It also contains content relevant to Islamic culture as it was co-created with adolescents in the Bangsamoro region.
Designed for girls between 10 and 19, the app is based on Oky, a menstruation education and period tracker app created by the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef).
Its local version was developed with the support of the Australian government and in collaboration with Unicef Philippines, Plan International, and various government agencies, including the Department of Education (DepEd), Department of Health, Commission on Population and Development (Popcom), and National Youth Commission.
‘Sensitive topics’
These organizations and agencies said in a joint statement that while there was improved access to menstrual hygiene in schools, menstruation, and sexual reproductive health rights were still “sensitive topics for discussion.”
“More concerning is that myths and misconceptions about menstrual health proliferate on social media—hindering girls’ access to important information critical to understanding their right to reproductive health,” they said.
‘Daily cards’
Lolito Tacardon, Popcom deputy executive director, said: “The Oky app is a welcome intervention to build the ability of girls to take good care of themselves. It is a potentially effective platform among girls in accessing information that is not openly discussed at home, school, and society at large.”
Downloadable via the Google Play Store, the app provides a countdown to the number of days before a girl’s period and when they are expected to complete their cycle.
There are also “daily cards” to list down their moods, the heaviness of their flow, and their activities during the day.
The app features as well a private diary, a daily quiz about menstrual health and sexual and reproductive rights, and an encyclopedia that provides information about menstruation, body, and health.