Menstrual Hygiene Management in schools of Nepal

Government of Nepal recently authorized the local Municipalities to open the schools, as per the COVID-19 situation of the respective Municipality and the capacity of the school. Accordingly, Shree Shishu Sachhyar Basic School situated in Mechinagar Municipality-6, Jhapa district (East Nepal), reopened from mid-November 2020 after being closed for eight months. In order to ensure the implementation of standard public health protocols in the school, urgent action was required to address the menstrual hygiene of the girl students along with other pandemic precautions.

Considering this fact, ECCA supported washable reusable sanitary pads (along with a leaflet containing information on menstrual hygiene management, menstrual cycle tracking paper, and using procedure of reusable sanitary pad) to 60 menstruating girl students of the school.

The economic impact of COVID-19 has been forcing many school girls to prioritize other basic needs over safe menstrual products, which even more emphasizes the support efforts to continue, so the girls can manage their monthly periods safely and hygienically – whatever the situation is.

We are very thankful for your support.

With the motive of mitigating the impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on girls’ and women’s ability to manage their menstruation and their health, a set of washable reusable sanitary pad was distributed to each member of 17 different women groups of Japhe village located in Tamakoshi Rural Municipality (around 150 km north of Kathmandu in Dolakha district in central Nepal). All together 503 sets of washable reusable sanitary pad were distributed.

Indira Kafle, secretary of Laliguras Women Group stated “even in the normal times, poverty and lack of basic services often cause menstrual health and hygiene needs to go unmet. In this context, the support of reusable sanitary pads and the orientation about menstruation, its management and the use of washable reusable sanitary pads will be very helpful for our personal hygiene management during the time of pandemic.”

We thank you for the support.