NGO gives sanitary pad dispensers in 19 schools, girls buy a pad for Rs 2

Tribune News Service

Advertisement

Jalandhar, May 27

As many as 2250 adolescent girls from 19 government schools of Balachaur now have an access to subsidised sanitary napkins that can be dispensed for just Rs 2 each, thanks to Takarla village based NGO Khwahish Sewa Society (KHASS).

These schools including six of senior secondary level and seven high schools are also equipped with sanitary napkin incinerator installed in the campus washrooms. Further, these schools also have lockers provided to the female students to store their personal belongings including sanitary pads. Every girl going through menstruation is provided six free pads each month.

Canadian NRI Giandeep Kheparh, running the NGO, has set a target, “This year 14 more schools in the Saroya Block of Nawanshahar will be menstrual friendly schools by the end of this financial year. The Rotary Club of Grande Prairie, Canada, is supporting us for funding this project”.

A random survey conducted by the NGO in Balachaur Blocks I and II of Nawanshahr showed that 95 per cent females are barred from going to temples and touching pickles when they are menstruating, by their families. Kheparh said, “We also found that on an average, young girls also miss up to 24 days school each year in this area. In addition to persisting taboos, the capacity of women of all ages to manage their periods is affected by a number of other factors, including limited access to affordable and hygienic sanitary materials and disposal options leaving many to manage their periods in ineffective, uncomfortable and unhygienic ways. These problems are further exacerbated by insufficient access to safe and private toilets and lack of clean water and soap for personal hygiene. As a result, menstruating girls and women often feel ashamed and embarrassed.”

ABOUT THE DAY

Initiated by WASH United, Global Menstrual Hygiene Day will be celebrated on May 28 around the world. Aimed at breaking the silence around menstruation, Menstrual Hygiene Day was created to publicly recognise the right of women to hygienically manage their menstruation wherever they are. By acknowledging that menstruation is a normal human process and a sign of good health, Menstrual Hygiene Day confronts the stigmas attached to menstruation with collective advocacy, education and action. The theme for MH Day 2017 is that education about menstruation changes everything.