End Menstruation Exile.

My name is Anuradha, one of the group leaders of the girls’ club. I am studying in Grade 9 at Kada Bhawani Secondary School, Khaptad Chhededaha-1, Bajura.  

Every month, a staff member of the Garima Project comes to our school and conducts a monthly girls’ club meeting. We discuss different issues like menstrual hygiene and management, the importance of nutrition, mental health issues and so on. We are gaining lots of knowledge through different games and presentations. We even pass this knowledge on to other students in our school.  

Menstruating girls and women must go to a nearby river to take a bath and clean and wash the clothes they use. But this project has taught me many things. So, I do not practice the harmful things I previously encouraged. I share the toilet and the water tap with other people, that are also using them regularly [something normally banned during menstruation]. Many people in our villages are against me for what I am doing. But I believe that this project will change their belief, attitude and practices. Menstruating girls and women are not permitted to eat milk or curd, but I have started to eat them and my family members do not restrict me from having them.  

Activities are held in our school every month with the support of this project. This has helped us to participate in skill-building activities like quiz contests, debates and speeches. In previous times, very few girls used to participate in such activities but now many girls are being active and enjoying the regular meetings with girls and women in support of each other. 

We have also made a sanitary pad disposal unit in our villages which this project taught us how to do so. Girls and women used to throw used pads in the jungle and river. So, we girls made this to manage the used sanitary pad in the community more effectively.  

Links:

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