The prevalence of poverty is a foremost issue in low-income communities in Nepal where the exorbitant prices of hygiene products and social stigmas prevent girls from exercising proper hygiene. The health implications of such conditions can be severe, given the restricted access to menstrual products. Adolescent girls are therefore refrained from going to school and that leads to early marriages and motherhood. The hygiene kits for these girls will help them to attend school on regular basis.
Girls face growing menstrual challenges especially among marginalized communities despite global advancements in gender equality. Poverty, unhealthy practices, and social taboos forbid girls to attend schools leading to wide gender disparity in the community. Girls' inability to effectively manage menstrual hygiene affects their education and physical and mental well-being. Education empowers girls to develop confidence, knowledge, and skills to become self-reliant and changemakers.
Himalayan Life Canada enriches the academic competencies of the children and helps them to build leadership skills and resilience. Girls from low-income communities can do better if they are provided hygiene kits to inculcate healthy practices and thereby encourage the enrolment and retention of girls in school.
The hygiene kit will include sanitary napkins, a toothbrush, toothpaste, and a flashlight (to use the bathroom at night). This will promote hygiene among girls and prevent social stigmas in the communities. Girls will attend school with confidence and pride to choose their own careers. The program will also address issues like early childhood marriage and motherhood.
