MHM champions cause for a menstruation-friendly world

Lucknow: Nineteen-year-old Kiran (name changed) had chafed thighs because of using low-quality sanitary napkins available near her house, during menstruation. In the absence of right information regarding menstrual hygiene and relying on outdated, unhygienic methods, Kiran not only experienced extreme pain but also discomfort.It was only after her home science teacher, Parul Goyal, promoted hand-made cloth pads among adolescent girls that Kiran is now carefree about her periods.Teaching at Govt Girls’ Inter College in Rampur district, Goyal collaborated with the local sself-help groups (SHGs) to develop sustainable production of reusable and hygienic cloth pads. Goyal (37) is one of the few menstrual hygiene management (MHM) champion who have made govt schools’ period-friendly following secondary education department’s initiative of making one school in each of the 75 districts as Swachh Garima Vidyalaya (SGV) with technical support from Unicef. “The MHM training I underwent in 2022 was the turning point in my life. Today, I have extended my outreach to 20 colleges and several communities to implement essential menstrual hygiene management. My school now has a different identity of creating a world where menstruation is free of stigma and shame,” Goyal said. According to joint director, Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA), Santwana Tiwari, SGV’s have menstrual hygiene labs, incinerators, pad vending machines and clean toilets where girls can manage their periods in a dignified manner and not miss school during their menstrual cycle. “In almost one year, we have been able to reach out to nearly 50,000 students to break the stigma and silence around menstruation. Girls now discuss their problems related to periods openly. SGV’s will ensure that girls do not dropout from school due to menstruation,” Tiwari said. Prachi Yadav, 38, a science teacher at Govt High School in Gonda too emerged as an MHM champion for introducing an inclusive gender-neutral approach in her co-ed school where she faced many challenges to develop understanding among adolescents, particularly boys, about MHM practices. “The word ‘period’ is a taboo here. After my MHM training, I decided to hold counselling classes for adolescent boys. They were engaged in several activities on MHM like ‘Swachhta Shaniwar’ and Pink Friday. I also opened a club in my school where all students can freely talk about menstrual hygiene,” said Yadav. Another courageous MHM leader, Chhaya Devi (40) has been spreading awareness on menstrual health and hygiene among adolescent girls in Ambedkarnagar. As MHM facilitator, she accomplished her mission and trained more than 450 head of schools, science teachers through capacity building programmes and mobilized support from officials of various government departments at district level. “I promoted adolescent girls in cloth pad making in several schools in the district and made over 100 children self-sufficient in cloth pad making,” Devi said. Chief of Unicef’s field office in UP, Zakari Adam said, “Every girl has the right to stay healthy and have access to sanitation facilities, especially during menstruation. Govt departments including health, education, urban and rural development will have to do convergent planning to ensure that every girl can learn, play, and safeguard her own health without experiencing stress, shame, or unnecessary barriers to information or supplies during menstruation.”
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