The consequences of the COVID-19 outbreak are felt most acutely by the marginalized, particularly women and girls. Due to lack of money and gender perspective hardly any government money goes toward adolescent girls. The lack of proper menstrual health management may lead to greater risks of infections. The limited food intake now would also aggravate the health of already malnourished girls. We are planning to provide sanitary pads and supplementary nutrition for 1000 poor adolescent girls.
The consequences of the COVID-19 outbreak are felt most acutely by the marginalized, particularly women and girls. Due to lack of money and gender perspective hardly any government money goes toward poor adolescent girls. The lack of proper menstrual health management may lead to greater risks of infections. The limited food intake now would also aggravate the health of already malnourished girls. Future of girl children's education and health in women headed families become uncertain.
We are working with 3000 adolescent girls from 50 slums of Chennai. Initially we are planning to provide sanitary pads, soap, masks, supplementary nutrition food mix and education materials on Menstrual Hygiene Management and Prevention Corona virus infection. We had initiated an association 'Snehidhi' for adolescent girls in slums. The sanitary pads and supplementary nutrition mix will be distributed by our field staff and Snehidhi leaders with proper preventive care and social distancing.
Promoting menstrual hygiene management (MHM) is not only a sanitation matter; it is also an important step towards safeguarding the dignity, bodily integrity and overall life opportunities of girls. This project helps 1000 adolescent girls their MHM, protect themselves from infection, healthy and continue their education. Their mothers particularly single women would be happy because they have been working hard to give education to their daughters and are shattered by Corona pandemic.
