Tema is a young, vibrant female leader from Roviana in the Western Province. She is a strong advocator and a passionate practitioner in the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) space. She currently works as a WASH Project Manager for Plan International Pacific, in Honiara and is committed to contributing towards improving access to water, sanitation and hygiene services particularly in the rural communities, including schools and clinics. Her work takes her to some of the remote communities in North West of Guadalcanal Province.
As part of her role she works closely with Kaleko Steifree, a menstrual health organisation based in the Solomon Islands, to share information. She is a former Miss Solomon Islands and and a two-time Australia Awards Scholarship awardee, she compled a Bachelor’s Degree in Science, majoring in Environmental Science from James Cook University and has a Masters in Integrated Water Management from Griffith University, Australia.
“Menstruation is normal. It is natural. It happens to every woman and it should not be something that we are ashamed to talk about. It should not be considered as a taboo or a myth to anyone.”
— Tema Wickham
“Menstruation is normal. It is natural. It happens to every woman and it should not be something that we are ashamed to talk about. It should not be considered as a taboo or a myth to anyone.”
— Tema Wickham
“It was empowering seeing Tema share her story on menstruation. It felt emotional hearing her story and the struggles that she endured and made me see that my experience was not my own struggle, but the same struggle that all women and girls face in the Solomon Islands. I hope that girls, boys and mothers see this video so that the conversation can start to become normal and for it not to be seen as a taboo subject, and so that women know that they have the right to access basic WASH facilities.”
Eunice P. Misi | Photographer
“Hearing Tema’s story reminded me that my village needs proper sanitation and hygiene. I learned a lot from hearing about her experience and it opened my eyes to the challenges that women face accessing water and sanitation. I hope that our leaders, MPs, advocates, and most importantly, men, see this video so that they understand women’s experiences and so that menstruation is not a taboo topic.”
Regina Lepping | Videographer
Kaleko Steifree Solomons provides a combination of products and services to address key challenges that women and girls experience in managing their menstruation in the Solomon Islands. The organisation envisions “that all women and girls across the Solomon’s reach their full potential.”
Kaleko Steifree is an affordable, quality, locally made reusable period-product for women and girls to manage their monthly period. Each kit is washable, can be used for five years and includes information on how to care for the products.
The team also provides high-quality information, based on Pacific led expertise, to empower women to make informed decisions about how they manage their menstruation.