Menstrual Hygiene Room and Foot-operated Handwash Basin

Menstrual Hygiene Room: Making Periods in School Safer

Having periods in school is a hassle. Now, those of us who have our periods can all relate to the mess caused by the undesired liquids that on a monthly basis grace us with their presence as they relieve themselves from our body. There is blood, tissues, clots, cloths, and pads that frequent us. As an adult in my early twenties, I am used to this process and accept the functionality of the female anatomy. However, there are many other females who have yet to come to terms with their own bodies. This mainly being girls who are recently welcoming their periods. Without a doubt, the early stages are a struggle of understanding, acceptance, and adaptation. This is only amplified when we have to deal with it in school. The place where we spend our pubescent years and when most girls start their menstrual cycle.

While schools are a great environment to focus on our education, it is also a place lacking in some departments. Most schools here in Nepal have a sick (resting) room to rest sick children but unfortunately, providing necessary care for girls exclusively during periods is an overlooked topic. The concept of girls requiring support, stability, and privacy within the school to prospect schools as a safe and comfortable environment during the period is not yet recognized. This is precisely why there is a presence of discomfort underlying in girls during periods in school which not only results in shying away from asking for the guidance of available staff but even using provided sick rooms.

In Nepal, menstruation largely accounts for the absenteeism of girls in school. Only in Bhaktapur district, about 13.7% of girls miss schools and 83.3% of girls miss classes during menstruation according to a 2018 report by Patan Academy of Health Science. Mainly, Government schools of Nepal are underprepared to address menstruation-related issues. Although there is regular supply of government-issued sanitary pads in government schools there remains other areas of concern.

The schools house dark and enclosed latrines which is not ideal for changing and washing during period. While 25% of the schools in the entire nation have fully functioning water schemes according to a 2016 report by UNICEF, for the rest, there is still an inadequacy of water supply. The sheer lack of waste disposal method near girls' toilets has made it uncomfortable for them to change and dispose used pads. Fearing to face the shame of leakage in their schools uniform during heavy blood flow the girls prefer to stay home. Similarly, menstrual cramps are tough to deal with when there is no space for privacy. The issue of privacy is the most critical for girls and people who have conservative take on menstruation.

We acknowledge that menstruation surrounds many problems, especially in our conservative communities. However, there are only a handful of things that can be addressed even with this knowledge. Understanding this general truth and sharing a similar topic of interest, a team of 5 members (Daya Laxmi Duwal, Dipesh Jung Gurung, Johnson Thapa, Reetika Rai and Saijal RajBhandari) came to be for a project. We were well acquainted since participating in a volunteering program of VSO ICS 2019 and placed together in Lumjung.  Adjacently, once again another program called ICS Alumni Grant Program helped pursue our personal interests in a project as a group.

Although while hoping for more direct contact with girls from different schools for a menstrual workshop. The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic encouraged us to lean towards replicating the idea inspired by fellow junior VSO ICS Alumnae and pitched to us by our Grant Champion, Shantosh Thapa. This concept checked off all our boxes of meeting set goals, confronting menstrual issues, and providing an alternative. We planned to create an adequately equipped and functional room for menstruating girls. Thus, we decided on making a 'Menstrual Hygiene Room'. We choose 3 government schools of Bhaktapur district to implement this project.

(Before and after images of the Menstrual Hygiene Room of Sharada Secondary School, Yalachhen, Bhaktapur)

(Before and after images of the Menstrual Hygiene Room of Jaycees Secondary School, Inrayanipith, Bhaktapur)

(Before and after images of the Menstrual Hygiene Room of Saraswati Vidyagriha  Secondary School, Naavadurgasthan, Bhaktapur)

The concept "Menstrual Hygiene Room" is fairly new to Nepal and not as appealing as other hygiene related/WASH projects; regardless we found schools who were more than willing to partake in our project. The schools we worked with did not have proper sick rooms; they were either using the staff room tor office for resting the girls until they were sent back home. We were successful in our endeavors of making our Menstrual Hygiene Room in Saraswati Vidyagriha Secondary School, Sharada Secondary School and Jaycees Secondary School located in Bhaktapur district. We convinced the School Management Committee to provide an unused room with good ventilation and privacy so that we could install the resources such as bed, carpets, sanitary pads, dustbin, water filter and first aid kits as per convenience.

After ascertaining our current situation we realized the need for contactless handwashing stations to be available within schools. The importance and process of handwashing has come to change at this point of time. Thus, in the final stages of planning we made additional changes in our project and set on making 'Foot-operated Handwash Basin' as well in 2 Government schools of Bhaktapur.

(Foot-operated Handwash Basin installation in Shree Siddhi Sharada Aadharbhut Vidyalaya & Saraswati Vidyagriha  Secondary School respectively)

Our project has reduced the impact of menstruation on girls' health and changed the outlook of girls' education in these schools. Likewise, to an extent, revised the need of safe and constant handwashing for maintaining personal hygiene. Additionally, we conducted a discourse in a collaborative session with teachers and students present from two of the schools we worked with, Jaycees Secondary School and Sharada Secondary School on the topic 'Menstruation and Menstrual Hygiene Room'. In the presentation we introduced some concepts, misconceptions and origins of myths and taboos of menstruation through an online outlet, Zoom.

  (Zoom presentation on 'Menstruation and Menstrual Hygiene Room' to Jaycees Secondary School & Sharada Secondary School)

Similarly, to make the menstrual hygiene rooms more informative we pasted interesting and informative charts on the walls and also had a discussion regarding menstrual hygiene during our interactive presentation with the students. Through this project we have provided resources which encourage girls to seek their needs confidently and influence a healthy and strong self- esteem to make them resilient and independent.

(Information wall of the Menstrual Hygiene Room of Jaycees Secondary School)

Our Menstrual Hygiene Rooms are expected to benefit around 312 girls and 50 female staffs. While the Foot-operated Handwash Basins are estimated to directly benefit 441 locals of the school. Through this project we built awareness and gained much needed experience. We came across different people and ideals and learned about others and in turn viewed things from a unique perspective. We may have stuck a few hurdles along the way especially during the lockdown going in Nepal. Nevertheless, there were people who had our backs and who were patient with us which pushed us to finish what we had started. We appreciate everyone who supported, guided and motivated us throughout this journey.