Hygiene & Sanitation
A Collective Responsibility
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Overview
As an Implementation Partner for the Program – Sanitation, A collective Responsibility, Engaging young minds towards Toilet Responsibility, supported by U.S. Consulate General, Hyderabad, Naari designed the MHM (Menstrual Hygiene Management) Component for this project. The project was executed at Telangana Social Welfare Residential School, Narsingi.
Over a period of 3 months, we worked with 500 girls to educate them about Menstrual Health and Hygiene and also enabled them to manage Menstruation in Sustainable and Eco-friendly ways. This program included awareness workshops, DIY activities where we taught girls to sew their own cloth pads, organized Period Quiz, and Games, and finally handed over a Resource Material to school authorities as a reference guide for girls. We ended the project with a humble contribution from the United Colors of Benetton. Their CSR team distributed cloth pads to every menstruating girl in the school.
We saw an evident shift in the attitude of students and teachers of the school towards the end of the program.
Happening Now
Menstrual Hygiene – A Handy Reference for young girls
Most females attain “Menarche” or the First Menstrual cycle by the age of 11 – 14 Years. During this time their bodies are going through rapid physical changes, thanks to puberty. And Menarche adds a new dimension to the whole development process. Menstruation is a...
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Project Activities
“I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own”
~Audre Lorde
A) Awareness Talks
First Activity, first month, 6 workshops, 500 girls.
These workshops were part of the MHM (Menstrual Hygiene Management) module developed by Naari for the #WASH Project supported by U.S. CONSULATE under the U.S. India Alumni Conference 2017: Building Bridges, initiated and led by Chirantana Kar.
The topic was UnCoop Your Periods. A coop is a small cage used for housing egg-laying hens or chickens. Hence, it is symbolic of how girls and women are treated once they start their periods – a resource for giving birth to children and bringing forth humanity.
Uncoop symbolizes the expression of encouraging girls and women to uncage their thoughts about Periods…. empowering them to express their thoughts about Menstruation, to normalize Period conversations with their family members or any community dweller.
Uncoop also symbolizes the act of uncaging yourself from the myths and taboos associated with Periods, learning the logical reasons for their existence, and having the freedom to exercise one’s own choice to practice or not to practice them.
We had a wonderful time interacting with girls and I feel empowered to be able to help girls in shedding their inhibitions and come forward to share their experiences and clarify their doubts.
B) Make Your Own Pad (DIY Activity)
Activity 2, 200 girls, DIY workshop – Make Your Own Pad.
The girls of 10th – 12th grade were made to participate in this activity and we all were awestruck at the enthusiasm these girls portrayed in making their own pads. To top it all, they were not hesitant at all in talking about cloth pads, holding them in their hands, waving them in the air, sharing their experience of making these pads.
We provided them with cloth and templates to cut their pads…gave them sewing accessories… It was heartwarming to see them select their favorite colors of thread for their pads…
At the end of the session, we all could feel that girls were happy, excited, and less hesitant…feeling positive as we are gradually reaching our goal!!
Our resource person, Ms. Supriya Bhalerao was instrumental in instilling confidence in girls that they can sew their pads and training them to do so
3) Period Quiz
Activity 3, 400 girls, Period Quiz
We worked with girls in three batches and we were so happy to see that every batch was equally excited and full of energy…
We Conducted two activities in each batch and it was wonderful to see the girl’s spirit. They were all so prompt and they loved recalling their learnings from past activities…
Our volunteers, Priyanka and Rupa, have been instrumental in helping to execute the planned activities seamlessly in all batches and spent their time with girls. Without their strong support, the execution wouldn’t have been so fruitful and rewarding.
