LAKSHYA PEACE FOUNDATION organised “MENSTRUAL HYGIENE MANAGEMENT (MHM) AWARENESS PROGRAM” on 26 December 2020 at Dighi Village, Jamui (Bihar).
In rural Bihar, only 20% young women use sanitary pads during menstruation (National Family Health Survey data), which means 80% of the rural women are at risk of various health complications arising out of use of unhygienic alternatives to sanitary pads. Not only that, if they do not use sanitary pads during menstruation, it means 4-5 days a month, they are not doing their job/household chores with full efficiency. This is completely unacceptable in a developed society. It’s need of the hour that we, as a progressive society, ensure that all menstruating women use sanitary pads during menstruation and are also aware of aspects of health and hygiene related to it.
The Menstrual Hygiene Management Awareness Program was conducted by Lakshya Peace Foundation President Dr Sneha Varsha, Lakshya Peace Foundation Trustee Mrs Rubi Barnwal, and Kajal Chourasia ji from Breakthrough Trust.
About 100 village women participated and learnt various aspects of menstrual hygiene. Women and girls were educated about various aspects of menstruation and were told that menstruation is a very natural process. So, no taboo should be attached to it. They actively participated in question-answer session. Women appreciated our efforts and said this was the first time such awareness program happened in the village. A verbal survey regarding use of sanitary pads by the attendee women showed that less than 50 percent of them were using such pads. We resolved to change this scenario and discussed ways to achieve 100 percent sanitary pad use among women.
