Menstrual hygiene management: Govt school educators taught to make cloth sanitary pads
The drive was also conducted for women associated with self-help groups in rural areas of a handful of districts.
LUCKNOW In a bid to make menstrual hygiene information and products more accessible and climate friendly, teachers from over 100 inter-colleges and several government secondary schools were educated on how to make cloth sanitary napkins. The drive was also conducted for women associated with self-help groups in rural areas of a handful of districts.
Under the Swachh Garima Vidyalaya scheme for secondary government schools, an MHM (Menstrual hygiene management) initiative was conducted wherein social workers, in association with UNICEF and WASH (Water, sanitation and hygiene), set out to educate biology and home science teachers on how to coach students to take care of their menstrual health and make sustainable and reusable cloth sanitary pads.
“We conducted an initial two-day training program, and a refresher course afterwards with 91 teachers representing government schools from the 75 districts across UP. Thereafter, these master trainers taught the other teachers in the secondary schools in their districts, making those institutions MHM compliant,” said Shruti Pandey, state consultant with WASH.
“Currently, we are looking at how we can further expand this program to more teachers and students through the learning labs that have been established by the teachers in their respective districts,” said a nodal representative teacher who benefited from the program.
“This training program was conducted keeping in mind several factors like affordability of menstrual products, impact of disposed sanitary pads on the environment, a lack of accessibility of products like pads, menstrual cups, etc.,” said Madhushree Pandey, director of Sarthak NGO, non-profit engaged with the MHM initiative.
“A menstrual-hygiene friendly environment will ensure that every girl can learn, play, and safeguard her own health without experiencing stress, shame, or unnecessary barriers to information or supplies for managing her periods hygienically and with dignity,” said Zakari Adam, chief of UNICEF U.P. who have also played a part in facilitating these training programs.