Training 130 women youth health leaders in Gujarat

WOMEN'S MENSTRUAL HEALTH AWARENESS AND SANITATION PROJECT IN PATAN, GUJARAT

(March to May 2017)

 Meetings were held regularly across various villages to spread awareness of menstrual health and hygiene among local women.

No. of Meetings held:15

Villages covered:15

Total Participants:597

The meetings rallied around discussing the following points as well as concerns put forth by the participating women.

 How does menstruation occur?

• Why is there pain during menstruation?
• Is it normal to menstruate every 15 days?
• Is the passage for urination and menstruation the same?
• What practices do we adopt to maintain hygiene and prevent the occurrence of reproductive ailments?  
• Is it OK to cook food and prepare pickles during menses?
• What are the benefits of using sanitary napkins?
• What are the reasons for white discharge?
• How is the sex of the foetus determined?
• What are the ill effects of using Copper-T as a contraceptive device?

The participating women were pleased to have learnt new topics regarding their bodies.

Outcomes:

• Women belonging to conservative communities were initially apprehensive to attend the meetings, but once they gathered for it, there was no looking back.
• The participants were seeing the uterus model for the first time in their lives. They were fascinated with the model and learnt about the process of menstruation.
• Women above 25 years were not habituated to wearing panties, but after the meeting they realized the need for it and have started adopting the practice of doing so.
• Likewise, adolescents and young women are embracing the idea of using sanitary napkins.
• Superstitious beliefs are deeply steeped among the women communities. After much effort some women have overcome such beliefs.

Field Visit:

Mr Aishik Saha – Field Volunteer from GlobalGiving paid a two-day visit to AWAG and undertook a field visit of the said project. While his response was encouraging, we have also taken due heed of his valuable suggestions and feedback.